A prisoner long forgotten
by sugarsweet1995
Summary: The evilqueen has been locked up in a tower. People forgot about her that is untill princess Emma looks for a place to hide from her parents who want her to marry Neal the son of the dark one. This is a swanqueen story
1. Chapter 1

15 years ago

"Emma! Please stop playing and get ready for bed." Snow said to her hyperactive child.  
"But mommy! I don't want to sleep, I'm not tired yet." The little golden haired girl complained.  
"I know you are sweetheart but tomorrow we are going to travel to another kingdom and you need your rest." Snow took her little girl in her arms and tucked her into bed. She grabbed Emma's favourite toy, a white plush unicorn and gave it to her. As soon as the girl had her toy she hug it tightly.  
Snow look at her girl and was filth with joy. After everything that happened and all the deals they had to make they had finally found their happy ending.  
"Mommy, I want a story." The girl pouted and looked expecting at her mother.  
"Alright little princess, I will tell you a story. Close your eyes and listen closely."  
The little princess closed her eyes and let her mother's words flow.  
"Once upon a time in the middle of the strongest winter this kingdom has ever known. When the flakes of snow were falling like feathers from the sky, a queen sat at a window sewing. And whilst she was sewing and looking out of the window at the snow, she pricked her finger with a needle, and three drops of blood fell upon the snow. The red looked pretty upon the white snow and the queen thought to herself. ' I wish I had a child as white as snow, as red as blood and as black as the wood of the window-frame.  
Soon after she had a little girl, who was as white as snow, with lips as red as blood and with her hair as black as the ebony of the window-frame. She was therefore called Snow-white."  
The little princess opened her eyes and smiled at her mother. "It's your story, Mommy!" Snow-White nodded at continue.

"After the happiness of the birth of the princess came the sorrow of the death of the queen, who hadn't been strong enough and had died of an terrible illness. The king and princess grieve for a year when the king decided she needed a new mother. They travelled to different kingdoms met different princess but none show any interest in being the little princess's mother. None until one day the little princess was saved, when her horse had gone wild. She was saved by a young and beautiful woman, at first she was kind and good to the little princess but when time passed the woman had shown her real colours. She was evil, she killed the king and started a hunt on the princess. But because the princess was kind and loving she had many supporters and friends to help her escape the queens wrath.  
After being on the run for so many years she found her true love and she found the courage to take back her kingdom. Together they caught the evil queen and bring an end to her ruling. All should have been well but the evil queen treated the kingdom and all who lived in it. She wanted to destroy their happiness but before she could enact this terrible treat, Snow-white and her prince charming made a deal with a very powerful sorcerer. He made sure the evil queen couldn't act on her revenge and they banished her.  
Years went by and they never heard from her again. The kingdom was free of her wrath and Snow-white and prince charming married and had a beautiful golden haired girl, named Emma.  
And princess Emma knows no matter what evil lurks in this world. Her parents will always be there for her to protect her. The princess and her parents lived happily ever after."

The little princess yawned and rubbed her eyes. Sleep was taking over but she still had a little energy to ask her mother a question.  
"What happened to the queen after she was banished?" Snow push a strain of hair out of the princess's face.  
"We don't know, but there have been rumors that she died a few years ago. Don't worry my sweet girl she cannot harm you. No go to sleep and dream of sweet things, like flowers, the sang of birds or the sweet taste of honey."  
Snow-white kissed the princess on her forehead and bid her goodnight.

Snow closes the heaven wooden door of Emma's nursery and retreats back to her chambers in the west wing but before she enterers she takes a detour and climbs the stairs of the west wing tower. At the end of the stairs she opens the wooden door and steps inside.

"Good evening Regina." Snow says looking at her former step-mother.

"Good evening Snow-White." The woman behind bars answers with a sneer. "What do you want?"

Snow steps closer to the bars and smiles at the woman. "I'm here to tell you that from now on you don't have to expect me visiting anymore. My daughter is five and I want to spend all my time with her." Regina huffs.

"Do you really think I look forward to your visitations?" she rolls her eyes.

"Maybe not now but after a while you will miss them because this will be your last visitation ever. You will not have contact with a soul, you will live here and people will forget you, They will never know who the evil queen was, it will be like you would have never existed ." The woman stands up and takes several steps forward.

"My name is queen Regina! And I don't care about your treats, I don't want company. I want you all to leave me alone."

Snow signs. "You might think you don't need anyone but sooner or later the loneliness will break you. Goodbye Regina." Snow steps out of the room and climbs down the stairs with every step the groans and cries of Regina voice grow smaller and smaller until she can't hear them anymore.

When she reaches her chambers again her husband kind David is already in bed waiting for his wife the join him.  
"What's wrong?" He asks seeing the worrying look on Snows face. "I visited Regina for the last time tonight and I don't feel bad about." David gets out of bed and walks to his wife who was starting to undress.  
"Why would you feel bad about that? She doesn't deserve your pity." He tells her while losing the cords on Snows corset.  
"I know but still deep down I wish I could bring back the woman she once was. But after tonight I really think that, that person is long gone." David guides is wife to the bed and pulls the woolen sheets of her. He steps around the bed and gets in on the other side spooning his wife and kissing her neck.  
"You did the right thing, Snow. You acted like a true queen and a loving mother." Snows turns her head and kisses her husband.  
"I love you charming."  
"I love you too, Snow-white."  
They closed their eyes and went to sleep. The kingdom and their daughter had been saved from the wrath of the evil queen.


	2. Chapter 2

The royal meadow is one of the most beautiful places in the kingdom. Every day a dozen gardeners go and attend to every flower, bush or tree. And every day the gardeners have to watch out for the princess who races past them.

"Hiya! Hiya!" The princess cries making her stead go faster. Blond hair is blowing in the wind while her hands hold tight to the reins.  
"Come on chestnut just a little fast." She whispers to the horse's ear. "I want to feel like I'm flying."

It's like the horse understand what she wants and he speeds up. The blond princess can't help but laugh when she passes a few gardeners who have to jump out of the way.  
"Sorry!" The princess yells after them but she isn't really sorry.  
After a few minutes she sees the end of the meadow and the beginning of the enchanted forest. She let's go of her reins and pushes herself up so she is standing on her horse with her arms spread. She closes her eyes and imagines herself flying.  
Flying like a bird, flying across the world. No worries, no responsibilities…Freedom!

Her dream comes to an end to fast when she can hear a voice behind her. "EMMA! Are you crazy! Hold on to your reigns, you are going to fall!" Neal yells while he tries to catch up with her.  
Emma rolls her eyes and takes a hold of the reigns again and let her horse slow down stopping just before the beginning of the forest.

"I wasn't going to fall. I had it under control." She says when he finally catches up with her. Neal shakes his head. "You don't know that, your horse could get spooked or something else and you would have fallen flat on your face."

"Yeah, who wants to marry a princess with a broken nose." Emma fake pouts.  
Neal rolls his eyes at the childish behaviour of the girl.

It had been two weeks since his father had taking him the white kingdom to start courting princess Emma. The princess didn't know yet but they were betrothed. But the more time he spend with the princess the more he found that she wasn't the right girl for him.  
Yes she was beautiful, with her golden blond hair, emerald green eyes and pink lips. But he knew he couldn't fall in love with this woman. She was too wild, too stubborn and too smart. Three qualities he wasn't looking for in a wife. But he had to look over those faults because the marriage was arranged and nothing was going to change that.

"So Neal, do you want to race back?" Emma asks. She already knows the answer is no but she is waiting for him to surprise her which he doesn't.  
"Suit yourself, see you in half an hour for dinner." Emma says and gives her horse the reins to start galloping again. She doesn't know why he is still here. She knows he doesn't like her but yet he is still here courting her. She can't wait for the day he leaves because she is never going to agree to marry him.

When she sees the palace and the freshly cut bushes of roses she slows down her horse and makes her way to the stables.  
One of the stable boys takes over the reins of her horse and leads it to the appointed stable. Normally Emma likes to brush and attend to her horse on her own but she is already late and she still has to get dressed for dinner with her parents.

She walks to the right side of the palace next the guard loges, there is a hidden door behind some ivy. The door supposed to be lock but she has broken the lock off many years ago. The door leads in to a tunnel at the end of the tunnel there is a staircase. It's really dark but Emma has made use of it many times and can find her way in the dark without problems. She climbs the stairs and gets to another door which is hidden behind a portrait of some died royal, probably her great, great grandfather. When she opens the door portrait she is welcomed to the west wing were her chambers are.  
She opens the door to her chambers and is greeted by Ruby one of her handmaidens. She looks irritated but Emma doesn't comment on it.  
"Emma where have you been?" Ruby says while taking the sleeve of Emma's blouse. Emma looks at it and sees the tear she has made while riding with chestnut through some bushes with thorns.  
"Yeah, sorry I have ridden through the rose bushes." Ruby shakes her head and starts taking of Emma's blouse.  
"You know how hard the gardeners work to make those bushes look perfect? You have to learn to respect the work people do for you."

"I don't order them to do it." Emma's says while taking of her ridding pants and handing them to Ruby.  
Ruby signs, the girl still has to learn a lot and she wonders who is going to teach her.  
"The bath I had set up is still warm. You should clean yourself up before you meet your parents for dinner." With this said Ruby leaves the room.

Emma takes of her undergarments and makes her way to the wooden bathtub. She lets her toe tip in the water and finds it strange that Ruby calls this still warm. She holds her breath and sits down in the cold water. She washes her hair and body as fast as possible, so she doesn't have to sit in the cold water any longer than necessary.  
When she is done she rings the servants bell beside her door and waits for the next handmaiden to help her with her clothes and hair.  
After twenty minutes Emma was ready and presentable to go and meet her parents for dinner.

Dinner was held in the small dining hall, the great hall was only used for dinner when nobles were visiting. Her parents queen Snow and king David were seated across from each other at the two ends of the table. Emma was placed in the middle and Neal was placed across from her.  
They were all waiting for her. Emma sat in her chair and placed her napkin on her lap.

"My darling daughter. Please refrain from eating and listen to your mother for a moment. We have some important news." King David said. Emma puts her cutlery back down and turned her attention to her mother.

"My sweet Emma, for the past twenties years you have been the light in our lives. We made sure your life was filth with happiness. You have become the daughter I always hope for, beautiful, smart and kind. You will make a great queen someday. But as you know, a queen also needs a king and I happy to announce that Neal has asked for your hand in marriage and we have accepted."

If Emma had started eating before her mother's speech she would have spit it all out right there and then. She stared at her mother speechless. This is not happening, I can't….I couldn't….They wouldn't.

"NO!" Emma finally found her voice again.

"Emma…." Snow squealed.

Neal let out a cocky laugh. "I think princess Emma is in shock. She probably needs some time to adjust to the good news." He picks up his fork and starts eating from the roast chicken breast on his plate.

Emma pushes herself away from the table and stands up making her chair fall backwards. The chair collides with the floor with a loud bang.

"Emma!" David says with a firm voice. "Pick up your chair and sit back down." Emma locks eyes with her father trying the tell him how she feels but he let his eyes fall to his plate and starts eating as well. The moment his eyes leaves hers she rans away out of the dining hall to her room. When the door closes behind her she could hear the voices of her parents calling after her. "Emma!"

Emma runs through the halls of the west wing she is almost at her chambers when she changes her mind and run past them. If her parents are going to send someone for her they will defiantly check her chambers first.  
So instead she decides to go the right wing were her parents chambers are and where she can find the right tower. She isn't actually allowed in the tower because it's very old and there is a risk the roof of the tower might collapse. Emma doesn't care about the risk and climbs the stairs of the right wing. She looks around and find that the tower isn't looking old at all.

At the top of the tower she finds a wooden door. There is no small window to look through it so she can't see what's behind it. The pushes the door and finds that there is not keyhole. She pushes against the door and is met with some resistant. She pushes harder and she is able to push the door open so she can squeeze herself through the little opening.

The next thing she sees makes her forget why she is there in the first place. The tower is divided in two by a wall of bars, it's looks like cell. At the right of the cell there is a toilet and wooden tub with a washing cloth. In the middle there is a wooden table and chair and at the left of the cell close to the little window opening in the wall Emma can see a bed and on this bed there is a person lying with his or her face to the wall. She steps closer to the bars and can see that the person has the figure of a woman.

"Hello?" The person doesn't move. Maybe she's death? "Hello!" Emma cries a little louder. She wants to turn around and leave the room because she doesn't want to stay in a room with a corpse when she sees the figure stir.  
"Are you alive? Hello ma'am?" The woman slowly rolls herself over and Emma looks in to her eyes. She has beautiful brown eyes but it seems like they can't hold their focus on Emma.

"Who are you? Or are you just my imagination?" A hoarse voice asks.  
"My name is Emma and no I'm not some figure of your imagination I'm really here." Emma puts her hands on the bars and crouches down trying to get to eye level with the woman who is frowning at her.

"Who are you?" Emma asks curiously. The woman signs and rolls herself over, back to facing the wall.  
"I'm no one."

"What do you mean, no one? You have to be someone." Emma pushes not accepting the answer. The woman doesn't move and doesn't say anything.  
"Well if you are not going to talk to me, you will not mind me staying here. I'm hiding for my parents and I could use a quiet place to think." Emma looks over to the woman hoping she might respond but she doesn't.

Emma leans her head back against the cold stone wall. The cold feels cool as she tries the repeat the events in her head. I had been such a wonderful day, the sun had been shining, the birds sang and she and her horse had ridden like the wind. It all came crushing down the moment mother told me about Neal and the arrange marriage.  
"Why are you hidden from your parents?" The voice suddenly asks. Emma turns her head and hadn't notice that the woman had turned around again and was sitting up in the bed.

"They just told me that I have to marry this guy and I absolutely can't stand him." The woman huffs and shakes her head.  
She was expecting a reaction to her words but this wasn't what she was expecting.  
"What, do you find that funny? Getting married to someone you despise!" She didn't mean to yell out the last part but her voice was louder then she had expected.

"No I don't find it funny trust me I understand but you have to understand also one thing. You are the princess and this sometimes mean putting the needs of your people before your own. You parents have probably arranged this marriage because it benefits the kingdom, find out what this benefit is and you might be less appealed about you arranged marriage." Emma couldn't believe it but the woman had made some fair points. Her parents wouldn't make her marry someone she despises without a good reason.  
"How do you know all this and how did you know that I'm the princess?" The woman rolls her eyes.  
"I may be a prisoner but I'm not without intelligent. You are dressed and you act like a princess. For the other matter, let's says I have been here long enough to understand the ways of the court."

"You like being very vague don't you?" The woman laughs, the smile she displays is real but it doesn't reach her eyes.  
"Do I intrigue you princess?" Emma moves closer to the bars and locks eyes with the woman.

"yes, you do." It was true Emma had never met someone as interesting as this woman. She looks the woman up and down, paying more attention to make sure she didn't miss anything.  
She was dressed in a long grey dress it look like it was made from potatoes sacks, it wasn't suppose the flatter her figure but somehow it did. Her brown locks were pulled in a high ponytail and reached the middle of her back. She looked like she hadn't seen a bath in a long time. All of this should make her less attractive but Emma couldn't deny that the woman before her was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen.

"Princess? You are starring." The brunette says with a raise eyebrow. Emma chuckles. "Just looking at you." The minute the words have left her mouth Emma could feel herself getting red. The brunette on the other hand looks down and nervously pushes some hair out of her face.  
"I…..I haven't been able to wash myself properly in a while…I probably look awful." Emma shakes her head.  
"That doesn't matter. You look beautiful." The brunette snaps her head back up and Emma can see some tears forming behind those chocolate eyes.  
"How long have you been in here? I was told the west wing tower was at risk of collapsing."

"Well that was probably a lie to keep people away from me. I'm not supposed to have visitors." The brunette signs deeply.  
"You haven't answered my question about how long you have been here."  
The brunette looks past Emma at nothing trying to figure out how many years she had been locked in this cell but she came to the awful conclusion that she didn't know. She had stopped counting the days after a year of imprisonment.  
"I don't know, how old are you now?"

"I'm twenty. Why?"

"Then I have been locked in here for twenty years." Emma could hear herself gasping at the woman revelations. "How do you know this from my age?"

"Because I was locked up in here the day you were born." She whispered.

"Wait….I….I know this story! My mother told this tale when I was younger about the king and queen who made a deal to protect their daughter from the evil queen. They locked her up never to be seen and heard from ever again." Emma knew the story by heart because her mother had repeatedly told her the story and it had become her favourite story the hear. "You are the evil queen, Regina?"

The woman looks down again. It's seems every time she felt uncomfortable or nervous the woman would look down.  
"I was the queen, yes. Now I'm no one. I think you should go now." Regina says.

Emma stands up not knowing what to say. She walks back to the wooden door before she disappears completely she says just one more thing.

"I'm coming back tomorrow."  
Regina can just see the last of the blond locks disappearing behind the door when she finally let her tears fall.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Queen Regina**

Emma had managed to get to her chambers without being seen by any guards or her parents. Today was indeed a very eventful day. She started yanking at the buttons and cords of her dress when Ruby burst into the room.  
"O pray the gods you are still here. Your parents have been looking everywhere for you. They are even starting a search party as we speak." Emma walks to Ruby and holds up her hand to make to concerned brunette quiet.

"Please don't tell them you found me. I don't want to deal with them today. I need some time to think and I need to have a good night sleep." Emma tells Ruby and continues loosening her dress. Ruby turns Emma around and started helping.  
"What happened Emma? They told me you ran out of dinner. Have you actually eaten anything tonight?" Ruby asks with concern in her voice.

"They told me that I'm betrothed to Neal. I out to marry him but I can't stand him. I also don't understand why he wants to marry me, he doesn't even like me. And no I haven't eaten, I'm actually starving." Ruby sighs and nods.

"I had heard of the rumour a few days ago but I would have never thought the king and queen would make you marry him. And I will grab you some food later before you go to bed." Ruby undid Emma's corset. Emma was now standing in her undergarments and raises her arms when Ruby grab her nightgown to pull it over her head.

"There were rumours?" Emma asks while taking the washing cloth of the porcelain bowl Ruby presented to her and washes her face.

"Yes just a few but nobody paid any attention to it because we never thought they would go through it." Emma sits down in her reading chair and gestures for Ruby to sit down as well.

"Do you think I could reject the proposal? I know they have accepted it but if I asked them, would they reconsider?"

"You never know unless you try." Emma sighs. "Yes you're probably right." There was a small pause while Emma prepared herself to ask the following question.

"Ruby, what do you know about the evil queen?" Ruby raises an eyebrow.

"Who?"

"You know evil queen Regina." Ruby thought for a minute but shook her head. "I don't recoil knowing an evil queen but maybe you should ask granny. She has been working in the kitchen since before you were born, she knows almost everything about anything that goes around in this place." Emma hummed.

"Yes, I will ask her but it will have to be tomorrow. Can you please grab something for me to eat?" Ruby smiles.  
"Of course princess, anything else?"

"You can tell the king and queen that you have found me and that I am save, I will talk to them tomorrow." Ruby nods and leaves the room.

Morning sun creeps through the stained-glass changing the colours of the sun. The streams of the sun caress Emma's eyes make her stir pulling her out of a comfortable sleep. She can feel a weight beside her and I hand is playing with her hair.

"Good morning sweetheart." The soft voice of her mother says. Emma opens her eyes and sees Snow looking down on her.  
"you gave us a scare last night, running away like that. Where did you go?" Emma pulls herself up and is sitting against the headboard.  
"I was…nowhere…I needed some time to think." Snow nods.

"I understand. It's a lot to take in but don't worry Emma everything will be fine. You will love him over time."

"I just don't now mother. When I was little I always thought of finding my true love and marry that person, like you and dad. I thought you guys wanted that for me as well." Emma stares into her mother's eyes trying the find some hope. Maybe she could make them reconsider the marriage but there was something cold in her mother's eyes something she had never seen before.

"I'm sorry sweetheart but finding true love isn't for everyone. Some people have to put the needs of others before their own." Emma let out a little laugh. It was the same thing Regina had said.

"What's wrong honey, why do you find that funny?" Snow askes concerned.

"I don't. It's just someone said the same thing to me recently."

"Who?" Emma didn't know if she should tell her mother about her meeting Regina. If she could believe the tale her mother told her, she should stay away from Regina because she was a dangerous woman, an evil woman. So Emma didn't tell her anything.

"No one, at least no one important." Snow cups her daughter's cheek.

"Everyone is important sweetheart, you remember that." She kisses Emma on the head and gets of the bed.

"Why don't you get out of bed. We have already eaten breakfast but I'm sure if you ask granny she will still cook you something." Snow makes her way to the door but pause and turns around.

"Me and your father are going to visit Lord William from the angle isles, so we won't be home for lunch. We will see you at dinner, try and spend some time with Neal. I love you honey." With that said Snow leaves her daughter to herself.

Emma didn't want to disturb her handmaids in their duties so Emma decided to put her cloths on be herself. She got out of bed and walked to her walk-in closet trying to decide what she was going to wear. Emma wasn't the princess type to wear a lot of dresses. She loves dressing up for a ball or a formal occasion but during the day Emma liked wearing her riding trousers and a loos blouse and with her parents gone for today there was nothing that could stop her from wearing something she felt comfortable in.

Emma made her way downstairs in her grey riding trousers and light blue blouse. The castle kitchens were located in the east of the castle close to the main hall. Emma walked in to the kitchen and spotted granny instantly, she was holding a large wooden spoon and was yelling at one of her kitchen maids, who was holding a chicken.

"You are going to pluck this chicken and I don't want to see a single feather on it when you are done!" The girl nods and squires away out of granny sight. The commotion had a few of the staff watching granny but she knew how to handle them.

"All of you get back to work, we have a whole castle the feed." They all leave the attend to their chords when granny turns around and locks eyes with Emma who is grinning at her.

"Princess Emma, how lovely to see you. We missed you at breakfast this morning, what can I do for you." Emma finds it amusing how the woman's temper can change so easily from irritated to honey sweet.

"I was wondering if you still have something to eat for me." Granny nods and walks to the cupboard taking a bowl and pouring some oatmeal in it.  
"Here you go sweetheart." She put the bowl on the big table in the middle of the room. Emma sits down and gestures for granny to join her.

"Thank you and there was one other thing I wished to ask you."

"Anything my dear child." Emma loves the terms of endearment granny uses for her. It reminded her of her childhood when she and Ruby played hid and seek in the kitchen, it was also granny who tucked her in at night when her parents had gone to entertain the nobles. Those were good memories and she was going to treasure them forever.  
"I was wondering if you could tell me more about queen Regina." Emma askes while eaten a spoon full of oatmeal.

Granny on the other hand had grown pale and darted her eyes everywhere but Emma's face. "Granny are you alright?" Emma asks puting her hand on granny's.

"Why…how….how do you know about her? Why would you WANT to know about her?" Granny askes with concern.

"It's just…. I want to know who she was." Granny sighs.

"She is dead. I don't see the point in discussing someone who is dead."

"Please granny, tell me." Granny looks into those emerald green eyes and releases that she can't say no to the girl.

"Fine but don't tell your mother that I told you the story." Emma puts the spoon down and lean a bit closer to granny so she wouldn't miss any detail of the story she was about to hear.

"You probably know the story about you mother with her skin as white as snow and lips as red as blood. Your grandmother queen Eva was a fair woman but she wasn't strong. She died when snow was really young but a king needs a queen so your grandfather travelled the land in search of a wife and a mother for snow which he found in lady Regina, the daughter of a fallen prince. She had rescued Snow from a horse gone wild and so the kind propose to lady Regina.  
I can still remember the banquet I had to prepare, roast wild hog, pheasants, bowls and bowls of pudding ….." Granny drifted off.

"Euh Granny."

"oh, I'm sorry my dear where was I? Right, the marriage between your grandfather and queen Regina wasn't a happy marriage. The king was gone frequently and Queen Regina was left all by herself. I do believe she preferred it this way. She did not love the king and the king did not love the queen. She was a good queen for a while very kind, smart. She treated the staff better than any monarch I have ever had the pleasure the meet.  
I probably shouldn't be telling you this but one night I came across the king and queen's chambers and I could hear crying and yelling. Lady Regina had only been eighteen when she had to marry the king who was already past fifty. I don't think it's right but I'm not allowed to judge. I don't know what happens behind closed doors but several days after that incident the king died. Killed by his foreign adviser. Excuse me for a second princess." Granny turns around and sees some maids chatting with each other.

"Go back to work and bring me some wine!" Granny commands and turns her attention back to Emma.

"So the king died and they couldn't find the murder and the counsel had their suspicious about the queens involvement. Before they could do something the queen had formed a black guard to protect her and without anyone knowing she had studied magic. She had become the most powerful woman at court without anyone noticing.  
The rest of the story is quite simple, for some reason she had a real blood thirst for Snow-white. She wanted your mother dead and tried several times to kill her but she always failed. When your mother met your father everything changed. They decided to take back the kingdom, using the help of the blue fairy and the dark one."

"The dark one?"

"Yes, the dark one. When Regina threated your life and the kingdom they made a deal with him making sure Regina couldn't do anything to harm anyone. She's a dangerous woman, she has killed many innocent people." Emma quirked her eyebrow.

"You said she is! You know she's alive." Granny swallows, eyes wide.

"How long does it take to get me some wine!" Granny cries standing up again trying to leave but Emma grabs her arm and pulls her back down.

"Tell me EVERTHING! What deal did my parents make?" Granny runs her hands through her grey hair and sighs.

"To release yourself and the kingdom of the evil queen, you ought to marry his son Neal. Your parents agreed to the deal. The queen was captured and locked away in a place where she couldn't use her magic. Don't ask me where, I don't know."

Emma knew exactly where they had hide the evil queen and she couldn't believe her mother had lied to her all this years and just this morning. Now she knew the whole story and now she knew why she had to marry Neal. The only thing she was still wondering about was how could they call this woman the evil queen there was nothing evil about her. The only thing she had seen was a broken and lonely woman.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: True love isn't for everyone**

She had learn a lot from her visit to granny and she definitely had the thirst to learn more about the woman. But the only way she was going to get more answers would be from the source directly. Emma made her way to the west wing when a strong arm grab her and turned her around.

"Hello princess, where were you going?" Neal asked suspiciously, his mouth was a tin line while he waited for Emma to answer him.

"Nowhere, now get your hands of me your hurting me." Neal lets go of her but keeps a grin on his mouth.

"Well if you are not going anywhere you probably have no problem with accompanying me to the rose gardens. It's a beautiful day and we have some things to discuss." Emma rolls her eyes but she let her be guided to the rose gardens.

The sun was indeed bright today, it was a beautiful sight to behold. The water of the fountains glistered in the mid-day sun making it look like there were little diamonds just under the surface of the water. They sat down on one of the many benches in the garden.

"Well I can't say I was surprised about your reaction to our engagement." Neal starts the conversation.  
"I would have been more surprised if you were happy about it. But I will tell you right now princess you will not change your parents minds. They don't have the power to decline this."

"I know." Emma says which causes him to quirk an eyebrow.

"What do you mean, you know?"

"Granny told me the story, about the dark one, your father. I am the price for keeping this kingdom save." Neal gives her a bright smile.

"You are a smart woman. Something I don't normally appreciate in a woman but I will let it slide this time." Emma couldn't feel anything but resentment for this man. But she bit her teeth from keeping her saying things she might regret.

"What I don't understand is way you are so happy with this. Don't you want to marry someone you actually like? Find your true love." Her words causes Neal to blurt out in laughter.

"Silly princess! Do you really believe in this true love bullshit? Maybe you're not as smart as I thought." Emma couldn't take it anymore and she stood up ready to leave but Neal grabs her hand and pulls her back down.

"There is no such thing as a true love, at least not for everyone and especially not for royals."  
Emma huffed.

"What about my parents? They have true love and they are royals." Neal rolls his eyes.

"Your parents are the only exception to the rule. Trust me I know what I'm talking about my father explained it to me a long time ago and I have accepted my faith and I'm happy about it. I'm going to be a king and I will have a beautiful queen be my side, I don't see any cons." He brushes her hair out of Emma's face and pushes it behind her ear.

"Now give me a kiss my princess." He touted his lips and leanes forward. Emma on the other hand turned her cheek to his lips and a sloppy kiss was place on her cheek.

"I'm sorry I'm just not ready for that yet. Please understand my sweet fiancée." Emma says sweetly. Neal didn't think anything else off it and nods that he understood.

They had nothing further to discus and Neal took his leave. He explained he wanted to go and train with one if the knights but Emma knew he was going to the village and to the towns tavern. Emma didn't care this gave her the time to go back to the west wing tower and to Regina.

The moment the blonde appeared in the door opening from the tower Regina got up from the bed and stood in front of the bars.

"You're back?" She asks not believing her eyes.

"I knew you would miss me." Regina rolls her eyes and sits down on the stone floor of her cell pulling her knees up to her chest.

"I didn't miss you, I was just not expecting to see you back. Why are you back?" Emma goes to sit across form Regina on the stone floor. For the warm temperatures outside the floor was pleasantly cold.

"I asked around about you, I know more about you know." The brunette let her eyes fall to the ground.

"And you came back just to mock me for my failure? Please don't hold back I deserve it."

"Well that's the thing I don't really understand. Yes if the stories that I have heard are true you would indeed deserve this but when I look at you I don't see a evil queen, I see someone who is broken and lonely and who gave up a long time ago." Regina snaps her eyes back up to the blond. What kind of game was the blond playing.

"I was never the evil queen that's the name your mother gave me." Regina sneers. Emma holds up her hands in surrender.

"Hey I get. Everyone knows this one version of the story, why don't you tell me your version." Regina laughs.

"You're the daughter of Snow-White and Prince charming. I tried to kill your mother I tried to take away her happiness why would you want to know my side of the story."

"Because I believe there are two sides to every story and I'm interested in yours." This leaves the brunette dumbstruck she didn't know how to start. Nobody had ever asked the hear her side of the story, and from all people she would have never thought it would be the daughter of her archenemies.

"Alright princess, have it your way. When I way about eighteen years I saved your mother from a horse gone wild. Your mother was very grateful and she liked me right from the start. She told the king about me and he came to our house and proposed. My mother accepted.  
I for one wasn't happy, I did not love the king, he was forty years my senior. But when you are from a noble family and a king wants you as his wife you can't say no.  
What the king and my mother didn't know was that I was already in love, I had fallen in love with our stable boy Daniel, we made plans to run away but your mother caught us kissing. I asked her to keep it a secret thinking the girl would understand the basic rules of keeping a secret but I was wrong.  
Your mothers wanted me, I was going to be her step-mother and she wasn't going to let anyone take me away from her." Regina took a couple of seconds to compose herself before continuing the story.

"She told my mother, my mother killed Daniel, I married the king and became queen." Regina said this without any emotion. She had cried enough about her past and she wasn't going to cry in front of the girl.

"I did not love the king and the king did not love me. I however did what a wife had to do but unfortunately I can't have children so I couldn't produce a male heir. The king was mad let's just keep it at that.  
When he died, when he was killed by his newly appointed adviser, a foreigner from a kingdom with bad connection to ours. There had formed rumours about my involvement in the murder. I for one think that those rumours started thanks to the council, they wanted to rule the kingdom without a monarch.  
Snow-White was still too young to rule and if they could get rid of the queen they would have power and control. No more monarchy.  
I had taken notice of these rumours a long time ago and formed a black guard to protect me. I mastered my magic which Rumpelstiltskin had been teaching me every time the king and Snow were gone. I disposed of the council and I wanted revenge for the death of my love. Yes I wanted your mother dead." Emma could see a shred of the woman she had heard about in the tales. Blood trusted for revenge.

"I ordered a huntsman to kill her, he failed. I hunt her down, I manipulated and tortured people, I destroyed villages and lives but every single time Snow-White escaped. And when your charming father came in the picture they decided to attack MY kingdom. They captured me with the help of the blue fairy and they took away my crown.  
But the magic of the blue fairy isn't as strong as my magic so I escaped and I promised myself I would not give up until I destroyed Snow-White's happiness. When I found out she was pregnant I was thrilled because taking you away from her would mean she could not have you. Finally the little princess wasn't going to get something she wanted.  
So the night before your birth they went to see the dark one and made a deal. Before I knew what was happening I was locked in this cell were time stands still, were I would stay until the end of time. Forgotten by everyone.

So in the end, she got everything, her child and me forever. "Regina lets out a little sobs and turns her head away from Emma.  
"So now you know my side of the story, I guess you will be leaving soon." Regina says still not looking at Emma.

"No, I'm not leaving you. I find you intriguing Regina, you're the most interesting person I have ever met." Emma says reaching through the bars and putting her hand on Regina's knees. The action makes Regina snap u and look at her with crazy eyes.

"What….How…" She rambles.

Emma takes back her hand thinking she has made Regina uncomfortable with touching her. "I'm sorry."

"That's not what I mean! You…. Your hand you can get through the magic barrier."

"What do you mean, What barrier?" Regina rolls her eyes and stretches her hand she is almost touching the bars when a crackling sound is heard and Regina features changes and she looks like she is in pain.

"What are you doing? Stop it! You are hurting yourself." Emma says in a concern voice. Regina pulls her hand back and rubs it against her clothes trying to make it less painful.

"That was the barrier. Do you really thing they can contain me in this little cell with only some bars. The cell is surrounded by magic, making the time stand still and making sure I can't use my magic."

"So why can I get through it?" Regina takes a second the think.

"I don't know, maybe…..do you have magic?" Regina asks and Emma shakes her head.

"Not that I know of." Regina bites her bottom lip and Emma can't help but stare at them.

"Maybe you do have magic but you don't know it yet. I wish I had my books so I could look it up."  
The brunette sighs in frustration.

"You know, If you tell me where your books are I could go and get them for you."

"And why would you do that?" The brunette asks suspicious.

"Well maybe if I have magic and if your books can help you find that out I would want to know as well." Regina could appreciate the logic of the blonde thoughts. And even if she couldn't find an answer for this she would at least have something to read.

"alright, I have hidden them in my old chambers. They are probably your parents chambers now. The wooden headboard of the bed is a hidden safe. If you turn the crowns upside down there will be a click and a little door will open. There should be five books inside bring them all." Emma nods and locks the information up in her mind when she gets up ready to retrieve the books Regina spoke off.

"Would you mind…..I know it's silly of me for asking…..but….would you mind bringing me also a copy of the apple heart, it's a …..romantic novel." Regina asks timid.

Emma smiles. "Of course, any other requests?"

"No that's all."

Emma ran down the stairs almost tripping over the last step but making sure no one stopped her until she arrived at her parents chambers. She walks in closing the door behind her but was met with a sight she would not forget so easily.  
Her mother and father were already in the room, her mother stripped from her corset and her father was only wearing his trousers.  
"Emma!? What are you doing here?" Snow squealed trying to cover herself up with the wolves fur that was lying on the bed.

"Nothing…..I…..you…I." She ramble not knowing what to say she turns around quickly making sure she doesn't have to see them.

"I came here to tell you that I and Neal have discussed matters and we are happy that we are going to marry each other."

"Oh Emma that's wonderful honey. But we will talk about this during dinner can you give us a moment of privacy." Emma didn't need to be told twice she darted to the door and leaves the room.

Emma couldn't go back to the room and it was almost dinner time she was going to propose this quest and do it tomorrow. She had just enough time to go and prepare herself for dinner which meant that her blouse and trousers wouldn't do and that she needs to go and put on one of her dresses.

"Hey Emma how has your day been so far." Ruby asks when she sees Emma entering the room.

"Better then yesterday that's for sure." Ruby his holding a pitcher with water and fills the porcelain bowl so Emma can wash her face.

"I have been looking for you today. I wanted to invite you to come to the village with me. I needed some fabrics and I thought you could use the change of scenery." Emma takes of her blouse and wash her face and armpits with the washing cloth which was very refreshing.

"Yes, I was busy with something else. But don't worry next time I will come with you." Ruby nods happy with the answer.

"Do you mind me asking where you were all afternoon? I asked around but no one as seen you." Emma make sure she didn't make eye contact with Ruby because if she did Ruby would know that she was lying.

"Oh, I just have been walking around the castle grounds. I wanted to have a day for myself so I avoided everyone." Ruby nods, she understands the need to be alone sometimes. She helps Emma in one of her more comfortable dresses and braids her hair.

At dinner the atmosphere was better than the day before because for the most part Neal was drunk and her parents avoided making eye contact with their daughter because of the previous incident.

"So Neal I told my parents that they could start planning everything for the wedding." Emma says trying to make conversation.

Neal just shrugged. "Good but I hope it will not take too long. I like to be married before the change of seasons."

"But that is in only two weeks." Emma gasps.

"Don't worry dear. You don't have to worry about anything I will plan it all." Her mother smiled sweetly at her. For once Emma was happy with her mother meddling she didn't want to plan this wedding like it was going to be the happiest day of her life, this was a business arrangement and if her mother wanted to plan it all she could.

After dinner Emma had tried to find a way to get into her parents chambers but they had decided to retried to bed very early because they were tired of today's activities. The thought to what those activities were made Emma groan.  
She saw no other way than to also go to bed early. She will try and get the books tomorrow when her parents are out hunting.


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks to all who are following the journey of our girls. I hope you like it, I enjoy any kind of feedback to make this better.**

 **Chapter 5: Sparks and magic**

Emma looks around the corner and finds the hallway empty. There is nothing in her way to enter her parents chambers and find those books. The door creeks when she opens it slowly making sure no one is in the room before she enters it. After looking around and making sure she can't hear anyone she makes her way to the bed and turns the crowns on the headboard upside down.

A click is heard just like she was told and a little door opens revealing five books. Emma takes one of the books examining it before she opens it. She can't read the sentences in the book, it must be some form of elfish. She takes to books and put them in the leather bag she brought with her. She walks to her mother's bookcase and let her fingers travel over the various number of titles when she finds the Apple Heart. She takes it as well and puts it in the bag leaving the room again walking to the stairs of the west wing tower.

"Where were you last night? I thought you were coming back!" Emma is greeted with an angry voice.

"Hello to you too, I'm sorry I didn't come back yesterday. Let me say …my parents were already occupying in the room." Regina eyes widen.

"Oh….really….I don't want that imagine in my head."

Emma chuckles and takes the books out of her bag and gives them to Regina through the bars. Emma sits back down on the floor just across from Regina like she did the day before.

Regina browses through the books biting her bottom lip while her face is looking very seriously. Emma let her head fall to the side while she studies Regina face. She looks adorable something she is never going to admit to her and something she can't really believe she is admitting to herself.

"You are staring at me!" Regina says making Emma jump and she is pulled out of her thoughts back to reality.

"I…..was….I have eyes, I'm allowed to use them." Regina rolls her eyes but can't help the blush that is covering her cheeks. She focuses back to the pages of the book.  
Emma keeps quiet while Regina keeps reading book after book.  
After two hours and counting the stones in the wales Emma had enough of the silence and stood up, ready to leave.

"Where are you going?" Regina asks lifting and eyebrow.

"I'm going because I have been sitting here for two hours watching the minutes go by and I'm sick of it."

"Please don't go." Regina's timid voice asks. Emma turns around and sighs.

"Why not? I don't see what my purpose is, I'm just sitting here doing nothing."

"Your ….not doing nothing. Your…here…..with me." Regina puts her book down.

"I like the company, it's been a very long time since I was able to talk to someone."

"How long has it been since you were able to talk to someone." Regina gets up and walks to the wall next to the small window. Emma takes a step closer to the bars and watches while Regina let her hand glide over the stones where there are small marks engraved.

"You were five when your mother visited me for the last time, I gave up counting after a year. So it will have been 15 years since I last talked to someone. So please Emma stay, I just need someone close to me." Regina turns her face to the wall but Emma can see her shoulders hutch in a way you see when someone is crying. Emma puts her hands on the bars, she desperately wants to close the distance between her and Regina but the cold hard iron of the bars reminds her that she can't.

"Regina." Emma breaths, Regina turns around and Emma sees the moisture in her eyes.

"Your mother was right, Emma. The loneliness did break me, I don't care about revenge anymore, I want to join my love in the afterlife maybe if I'm lucky I will find some happiness."

Emma felt a sharp pain in her chest, she couldn't stand to see the brunette in pain and she did not understand why. Yes she might have done terrible things in her past but I think she has suffered enough.

"I will stay." Emma reaches her hand through the bars and Regina takes it giving it a little squeeze.

"Thank you."  
The rest of the afternoon they spend with each other making small talk while Regina kept looking through the books for answers. Emma was in de middle of telling her the time that her mother got mad at her because she had been sword fighting with the butchers son while wearing a dress when Regina cried out.

"I think I found it!" Regina held up the book to Emma and was pointing at a sentence in the book.  
"You know I can't read this gibberish." Regina rolls her eyes.  
"This isn't gibberish, it says that people who share true love can create a product of true or in other words a child. This child is blessed with the ability to perform the purest of white magic." Regina cracks open in a smile.

"Do you know what this means?" Regina beams but Emma shakes her head.

"I can't use my magic in here because the barrier sucks all the dark magic out of me so my magic can't destroy it but white magic can. You can free me."

"Well there is just one problem." Regina crosses her arms over her chest and sighs.

"You don't want to help. It's okay I understand."

"No Regina that's not the problem. The problem is that I have never used magic, I don't even know what it would look like." Regina nods.

"Magic is emotion. The person who taught me said to use my rage to fuel my magic. But you have white magic so your emotions should be happiness or joy. Close your eyes, try and fill every bone in your body with joy. Feel it flow inside you and let it go through your hands." Emma closes her eyes and does what Regina tells her, she can feel something it's small but it's definitely there. She opens her hands and they start to tingle.  
"Open your eyes." It's just a whisper and when Emma looks to her hands there is a vague silver glow covering her skin.

"By the gods! Am I really doing this." Emma's excitement breaks her concentration and the glow disappears completely.

"Yes, you were using magic." Regina smiles at her. Maybe this is her chance to get out of here if Emma can break the barrier she can finally be free.

"That's so cool. Can I do it again." Regina chuckles.

"Why don't we try again, tomorrow. I hate to say this but I think your parents are going to look for you if you don't make it in time for dinner."

"I don't care, they will never figure out where I am. I just want to be with you, I could talk to you for ages." Regina blushes and smiles at the same time.

"Well I have all the time in world."

So Emma stays with Regina for the rest of the evening not caring if her parents were looking for her. She wanted to stay in this little bubble where she didn't have to worry about anything, not how she needed to act, not about the way she talked. This tower was Regina prison but somehow I became to only place where Emma felt completely free. It was around eleven o'clock when their chatter was disturb by a loud growling of Emma's stomach. They were lying next one and other on the stone floor with only the barrier and the bars separating them.

"Tell me Emma did you just turn into a bear or is that your stomach that I'm hearing." Regina asks laughing.

"Can you blame me I haven't eaten since noon. How come you are not hungry?" Regina gestures to the air around her.

"Time stands still, I can't age, I can't get hungry and I can't get tired." Emma presses herself up on her elbow.

"You haven't slept or eaten in twenty years? What do you do with all this time?"

"Well most of the time I just stare out of that small window." She says while pointing to it. "or I lie down, but after today I will be able to read some." She pauses. "Thank you…for the book. It's silly but it means a lot to me."

Emma was astonished that Regina hadn't gone crazy being in this small place with nothing to do. "Have you ever tried to kill yourself?" Emma asks lying back down staring at the ceiling.

"I tried, there isn't much I can use in here but I tried to hang myself with the sheets of my bed. I didn't work, I think they cast a spell so I couldn't do just that." Regina whips a tear that had dare to escape from her cheek. The movement had caught Emma's eye and Emma takes Regina's hand, locking eyes with her.

"I don't know way but I forgive you for everything that you have done. And I think you have been punished enough." Regina welcomes the hand and lifts it up to her lips and kisses the back. She can hear Emma's breath hitch.

"I think you should go and get some sleep." Regina says looking out of the window. "The moon passes my window when it's almost midnight." Emma has to let go of Regina's hand to push herself up and she misses the contact immediately. Regina's hand is warm and soft and she finds herself yearning to touch it again but she has to restrain herself.

"Goodnight Emma. Thank you for today." Regina says standing as close to the bars as the barrier let's her.

"Goodnight Regina, I see you tomorrow." They turn away from each other, Regina goes to lay on the bed and Emma leaves to tower but had they lingered a bit longer they would have noticed the glimmer in each eyes and the way their mouths turned into a smile at the same time.

When Emma returned to her chambers she was met by a two furious parents. "Emma where have you been! We have been looking for you all evening! What do you have to say for yourself young lady!" Her father demands to know from her.

"I'm sorry….I…..I left the castle ground this afternoon to go for a walk and I came across this beautiful meadow, at the west from the village and because I was tired from the walk I made the decision to lie down for just a minute and rest but I most have fallen asleep because when I woke up it was already dark. I just arrived back, I'm really sorry." Emma couldn't help but feel guilty because she was an excellent liar and both her parents bought the lie.

"Oh bless the gods, you are a lucky girl Emma. You could have gotten hurt or worse." Emma's mother says. "I want you to take someone with you next time you decide to go for a walk, so you understand me." Emma nods before she was in golfed in an embrace.

"We love you so much sweetie, have a good nights' sleep."

Emma had indeed a very good night' sleep, she had some wonderful dreams involving a certain brunette.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: A ball of white fabric**

The whole morning Emma was getting irritated more to a point she was ready to slap both of her parents and she wouldn't feel sorry about it. The first thing she saw when she woke up in the morning was her mother. Showing her different types of flowers and she had to decide which one would go best with her hair and skin type. Emma had just shrugged and told her mother to decide for her. After breakfast her father had lured her away from the wedding planning to go sword fighting. Normally she would be pleased to go sword fighting with her father but she wanted to go to Regina and they weren't letting her.  
So at the moment Emma was letting her frustration out on Marcel one of the guards. She let her sword chop into the wooden shield of Marcel, who tumbled back looking very scared of the blonde who swiped her sword just above his head.

"Emma! Hold you shield up like this. Your feet closer together." Her father shouted above the clinging of swords. Emma had Marcel on his back he was now holding his hands up in surrender. Emma stopped and threw her sword away unclasping her helmet so her blonde hair could flow in the wind. Sweat was pouring down her face making her hair stick to her forehead.

"Good fight Emma, you're getting better and better." Emma took the camel bag and drank some water.  
"Am I done now?" She asks puffing.  
"What's wrong you always like it when you get to swordfight." It was true Emma thought. She enjoy some good fighting and it was one of the facts why she loved her father so much. It was no secret that king David had wanted a son first but having a daughter who wanted to play with swords was the next best thing. It had taken him a while before he had convinced Snow to let him teach her but in the end the whining of his daughter had help him win the discussion.

"Yes I love it but I wanted to do something more relaxing today." She said taking another sip of water from the camel bag.

"Alright I understand so why don't you go and help you mother with the wedding planning I told her you were going to join her after your training." Emma turn her back to her father and rolled her eyes. She can't believe it, normally her parents left her alone and now all the sudden they wanted to spend all this time with her. Her father put his hand on her shoulders "Emma is everything alright?" He asks with concern.  
Emma turns around and gives him a fake smile. "Nothing wrong dear father, I will go now and join my mother." David knew the smile was fake. His daughter wasn't happy with her fiancée but there was nothing they could do about it. A deal was made and a price had to be paid.

Emma walks back into the castle she was already feeling her muscles protest with every step she took. When she opened the doors to the main hall she was left speechless. Her mother was standing in the middle of the room shouting at several servants who were hanging chandeliers and decorating everything with white, silver and golden glitter. The large table in the room was filth with different types of fabric and cloths. Granny was drawing a picture of the cake she wanted to make and Ruby was making a list of all the food and wine they had to order for the big feast.

"Emma! " Snow cried. "You are finally here. And you are sweating oah." She crunched her nose. "Go with Ruby and wash of all the dirt and sweat and put one of these dresses on." Snow gestured to the large balls of white fabric that were lying on the far end of the table.  
"What those are dresses?" Emma asked sincere but Snow scoffed and send Emma away with Ruby.  
"What in the gods was that. It was like being sucked up by a smoke of silver and gold." Ruby laughs.

"It has been like this all morning you should be glad you only arrived just now." Ruby says while they entered Emma chambers.  
"I have already filth your bath, clean yourself up and I will go and get those large snowballs of dresses." Emma must admit Ruby had a great sense of humour just like granny. Emma didn't consider them as servants because for a big part of her childhood it was granny who raised her and she had grown up with Ruby she was like a sister. They both felt like family to her.  
Emma let herself soak in the warm waters of the bad and dream away for just a second. She was remembering Regina words from yesterday about magic. Emma closed her eyes and let her hands drift over the surface of the water. Good thoughts, happy thought, my first time ridding, mother who reads a bedtime story, granny who lets her take the first bite of a freshly made pie, …..Regina's smile, her touch, her eyes. Emma could feel the warmth of her magic spreading through her whole body making her warm, making her hands tingle, her whole body. It was warm, real warm, almost hot. Emma couldn't take it anymore it was too hot. She opens her eyes and the bathtub was surrounded with a white glow and the water was so warm she couldn't hold it out any longer and jumps out of the bathtub when she the first bubbles coming to the surface indicating that the water was almost boiling.  
"Maybe I should only use it when I'm around Regina." She says freighted of her own powers.  
She dried herself, putted on some new undergarments and waited for Ruby to return with the dresses.

When Ruby walked through the door Emma couldn't help but say. "Help, a large ball of fabric is invading my room." She could hear a loud grunt from Ruby who was hidden somewhere in the large ball.

"Do you know who many times I walked into someone? I can't see!" Emma walks to Ruby and takes some of the dresses putting them on her bed.  
"Finally I can see again." She hears Ruby dramatically say.

Emma studies the dresses for a while and she cannot picture herself in one. "So which one do I have to try on first?"  
Ruby takes one with a long train and white wolfs fur. I cannot help but feel sorry for the poor animal. The second one is one with an iron frame, uncomfortable to walk in and it was just plain ugly. The third one made her scratch. The fourth one had a crazy cleavage and she couldn't pull it off. The fifth and last one was to Emma's surprise rather beautiful and it made her feel beautiful. She had a medium long train, the fabric felt like satin and the veil was made of the most beautiful lace she had ever seen.

"Emma I think we have found your wedding dress." Ruby says not taking her eyes of Emma. "You look like you step right out of a fairy-tale. A true princess."  
Emma agreed with Ruby but she also wished that she could live in fairy-tale because she wouldn't have to marry Neal and she could go and find her true love. Unconsciously her thoughts travelled to Regina who was locked up in the tower.

"Let's go show your mother." Ruby says and grabs Emma hand and guiding her out of the room. When Emma stepped into the main hall she could hear everyone gasp out of amazement. She got jealous looks from some girls and the men were ogling her and some were even drooling.  
Emma approach Snow and when her mother turned she didn't look as happy as she had pictured it.  
"That's the dress you pick. Not that I don't approve but it is for your wedding and this dress is just so simple. I thought you were going to pick the one with the iron frame." Emma fidgeted with her fingers. This the only one of the dresses she liked and now her mother is going to complain because she didn't like it. She didn't want to waste any more time on this, she didn't want to be here anymore she wanted to be with Regina.

"Please mother, the other dress isn't pleasant to wear it hurt my hips and look around everyone likes it." Snow looks around and looks back to Emma biting her bottom lip.

"Why don't you go and put that other dress on and come and show it to me, then I decide." Emma rolled her eyes and groaned.

"You know what forget it, it's okay I'll wear the other one."

"Emma! I would appreciate it if you could show a least a bit of interest in this wedding." Emma threw up her hands.  
"Why would I it's not like it's going to be a real marriage it's pure business. Paying of a depth with your daughters happiness!" Slap, a red mark was left on Emma's cheek were Snow had slapped her.

"We did that to protect you and the kingdom! And I will not have you judging our actions we are your parents and we are king and queen. No go to your chambers and put on that dress."  
Emma closes her eyes, she was so mad at her mother. She didn't need protection from Regina, Regina had changed, she was good, not evil. She wanted to go to Regina, she wanted someone to talk to her, she wanted to feel Regina hands in hers.  
A white glow radiated of Emma and she could feel her magic swirling inside her body. One second she was standing before her mother and the next she could hear a small gasp.

"Emma….How did you do that?" The voice asks. Emma opens her eyes and felt a little dizzy, her stomach was making loops but she was happy when she could look upon Regina's face.

"Regina! I …..I think it was magic." Emma and Regina looked at each other both astounded with what just happened.

"How did you do it? Did you use the technique I taught you?" She asks full of enthusiasm.  
Emma let her head fall to the side and bit her bottom lip.  
"I think I kind of used it? I was having a discussion with my mother and she slapped me."

"She did what?" Regina said her voice taking a firm and angry sound.

"Hey okay, It's not like I haven't been slapped before." Emma reassured Regina but she felt a warm feeling just because Regina cared, she said she didn't care about anything but judging from her reaction just now Emma knew Regina cared about her.

"So after she slapped me I felt she angry and I wanted to be with you because you make me feel so at ease and I closed my eyes and the next moment I'm standing her, just like poof."

"You just thought about me and poofed yourself here?" Regina looked at her with wide eyes.  
"Do you know how long it takes for someone to teleport through magic? Very long! I didn't learn after I was studying magic for a year. You are very powerful Emma." Regina looks Emma up and down.

"And I must say you look gorgeous Emma." Emma smiles and takes her dress and twirls around for Regina.  
"You will make a beautiful bride." Regina regrets the words as soon as they leave her mouth because Emma's smile fades and she sees big tears rolling over her cheeks.

"Emma? Emma…I'm sorry I didn't mean to make you cry." Regina steps forward wanting the comfort the woman by giving her a hug but she forgets for just a second that there is a barrier separating her from the sobbing woman. As soon as her hand touches the barrier there is a hissing sound and Regina is blown back and stumbles over the chair and table in her cell.

"Regina!" Emma yells looking at the woman who is clearly is pain. "Are you alright?!" Regina is weak on her legs and has to take a breath before she scrambles back up rubbing her elbow.  
"I'm fine Emma just some bruises." She walks, hobbles back but stops before the barrier. "Are you fine Emma."

Emma huffs and sniffs. "Are you seriously, I just have to marry an awful man, you just got blown away!" Emma is so angry she hits the bars with her fists.

"This is not fair!" Bang. "You should be free!" Bang. "I want you to be free!" Bang.  
"Emma stop you're hurting yourself." Emma doesn't give attention to Regina pleading she bangs again this time using all her force.

A crackling sound is hurt and the barrier fades for a second before it takes his place back again.  
"Did I just do that?" Emma asks in astonishment. Regina was left baffled the only thing she does is nodding.  
"Wow, I going to get you out of here." Emma says and starts hitting the bars again like her life depends on it.

Regina doesn't say anything she just stands there. After 15 minutes Emma is tired and the barrier is still in place. "I think you can stop now." The disappointed voice of Regina says.  
"I'm sorry." Emma wipes the sweat of her forehead. Regina snaps up her head and looks angry at Emma.

"Don't you ever say that again Emma! You are to only one who has ever tried, and even if you don't ever get me out of here I will forever be grateful because you are the only one who is trying." Emma places her forehead against the bars she doesn't feel like Regina should be grateful, she hasn't done anything. Regina looks at Emma's worrying face and sees the Emotions that are playing on her face.

"Emma look at me." Emma slowly lifts her head up. "Push your head through the bars as far as you can." Emma does what she is told. Regina holds her hand out and let the tips of her fingers wonder over Emma's cheeks. The half of Emma's head is through the barrier and Regina can touch that part.  
Her fingers leaves feather light touches. Emma closes her eyes and tries to take everything in. Soft lips leave a sweet kiss on her forehead. "Open your eyes Emma." She does.

"When you are here you make me forget and I'm forever grateful for that."

It took all of Emma's will power to leave Regina but she had to. Her mother must have been going crazy by now but she didn't let it get to her she decided she go and change first before finding her mother.

"EMMA!" Snow yelled when Emma entered the room, there were a lot of people standing in the main hall, Neal, her father, several guards and the blue fairy. "Were have you been! What did you do! Did you use magic?!" Her mother was looking at her with crazy red eyes, her father wasn't saying a word and just stood there.

"Yes I did use magic but don't worry I just teleported myself outside of the castle." Emma shrugged trying to get her mother's hands of her who was clutching her shoulders with a firm grip.  
"Do you have any Idea how dangerous it is to use magic, you could have been hurt, you could have been killed." Emma shakes her head.

"No, it feels good using it. I can feel so much energy coming out of me, it feels like freedom."

"No! Magic is dangerous! You should never use it. But don't worry we asked the blue fairy for her help." Snow gestured to blue who is flying just several inches away from her mother's ear.

"Yes princess, I can help you control this magic so you don't have to use it ever again." The blue fairy says flying closer to Emma.

"But I want to use it again! What do you mean with controlling it?" The blue fairy fly's even more closer to Emma clutching her want in her right hand.

"With this!" The fairy says and before Emma could do anything to stop her she had cast a spell on Emma. A silver arm bracelet appears around her wrist. It feels really cold and for a minute Emma was having difficulty breathing.

"What are you doing to me?" Emma cries out trying to unlock to bracelet, it doesn't work and she starts to pull at it.

"That will not work Emma. The bracelet prevents you from using magic." The blue fairy says.

Emma was feeling hopeless. This can't be true, if she can't use magic, she can't save Regina. Once again her parents were making decisions for her and she couldn't do anything about it. It was frustrating, irritating and extremely unfair.

"Why did you do this!" She yells to her mother.

"I didn't do anything wrong!" She led her eyes fall on to her father.

"Please Daddy do something!" She keeps pulling at the bracelet but nothing worked. She glares at her parents and before she knew it she said the one thing she had never said to them in her whole live.

"I HATE YOU BOTH! YOU ARE STEALING MY HAPPINESS! I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU FOR THIS!"

She ran from the room and let her tears stream. How was she ever going to face Regina again, she was useless now.


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm posting two chapter today, why? Because I'm having a good day and reading comments makes me so happy**

 **Chapter 7: Can you hear the wedding bells?**

Two days had passed, two days in which Emma couldn't face Regina, two days sitting in her room or go and meet her mother for more wedding preparations. And now it had all come to an end, the wedding was today and there was nothing she could do about it. She could feel herself dying inside. She regretted not seeing Regina for those two day. She missed her so much. The simple kiss on her forehead had activate something inside her, something she should have with the person she was about to marry but she knew she would never feel these things for Neal. He wanted to be king and marrying her was just one way to do it.

Emma was standing in front of a large mirror on a stole. Ruby was draping the layers of fabric of her dress. The iron frame was hurting her hips like Emma knew would happen but she didn't say anything about it. She just stared out in front of her.

In the end her mother wanted her to wear this dress it was more soothed for a princess. Her mother didn't care about her opinion anymore and Emma wonder what had happened to her mother over these few days. She could hardly recognize the woman and the more she remembered Regina's side of the story the more she was believing in it. Her mother might be the hero in many stories but in really life she was a spoiled princess who wanted to hold on the her toys.

"I'm sorry Emma." The quiet voice of Ruby says while she is busy draping Emma's veil over her head.  
"I wish there was something I could do." Ruby's voice was quivering by now. "But I can't." Big tears were streaming down Ruby's face. She couldn't stand the fact that her best friend had to marry someone she despises. When they were young Ruby and Emma would dress up and play pretend like they were going to marry but this scenario wasn't how they had pictured it and there was nothing she could do to help Emma. She had seen her friend growing cold in the last few days and she missed seeing Emma smile.

Emma lifts Ruby's chin up with her finger and looks her in the eyes. A single tear was caressing Emma left cheek.  
"True love isn't for everyone. Especially not royals." Ruby couldn't believe what Emma was saying, who told her that? Has she lost all hope for a happy ending?

"Who told you that?" Ruby asks angry.

"My future husband told me this." Emma says in a monotone way unlocking eyes with Ruby and watching herself in the mirror again.

"You listen to me know." Ruby says in a firm voice. "Everyone has their true love, and Neal isn't yours! Fight Emma! Fight against this, please I want the Emma I know back! It's like you lost any hope." Emma chuckles in a sad way.

"It's not like I have lost any hope, I have lost any hope."

She drapes the veil over her face making sure Ruby and the hundreds of people couldn't see her teary face and red eyes. Ruby wanted to say something anything but before she could open her mouth bells started ringing announcing the girls that the time had come to go to the main hall. Emma steps of the stole and take her bouquet of flowers ready to go and pay the price of the deal.

Hundreds and hundreds of nobles were seated in the main hall. Dressed in the finest of fabrics, silk, satin dresses embroidered with jewels that could feed a whole kingdom, gold, silver, diamonds and emeralds.

Outside the gates of the castle there were almost a thousand people standing and waiting with flowers and rice in their hands to greet the royal couple when they would ride past them in the royal wedding coach. It was going to be the event of the year and everyone wanted to be part of it. Everyone except for Emma.

Her feet were taking steps but she didn't pay any attention to it. Ruby was guiding her to the doors of the main hall where her father was waiting for her to give her away to her new husband. King David took his daughter's hand and gave it a little squeeze.  
"Are you ready?" He asks but wasn't really expecting an answer.

"If I said no would it make a difference?"

Emma hated to fact that her voice sounded so hoarse, so desperate for her father to comfort her and tell her that everything will be fine but instead her father didn't look at her and pulled her with him when the doors opened. She had always seen her father as a noble and brave king, Emma was wondering how she could have missed his cowardice.

It wasn't the dress she wanted to wear but she was looking beautiful nothing less. Her hair her was loose with little braids here and there. In the braids they had work in little daisy's with diamond hearts. Her make-up was light and it complemented her natural features even if it was still hidden behind the veil.  
Emma could her loud gasps and ooh sounds when she entered. A harpist was playing and a singer was signing. It was perfect for a royal wedding and the only thing Emma wanted to do was to turn around and run. Run as for as she can, to never come back and to find her happy ending somewhere else.

Neal was standing at the end of the ail and next to him there was a little man with weird green skin smiling a sickening smile. Emma could feel herself shiver just by looking at him, there was the man who had arrange this faith for her, Rumpelstiltskin.

Before she could register everything she saw she was already standing next to Neal and her father had given her away. Neal took her hands and glared at the pastor telling him to start the service. When he turns and looks at Emma his eyes were blank, there was no emotion of joy or happiness. But yet there was no emotion of joy or happiness in Emma's eyes either.

"We are gather here today to commit this lovely couple in the holy act of marriage. They will be bound to each other by the laws of the gods and this kingdom. They will love each other, support each other in sickness and in health." The pastor says his voice loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Lord Neal do you take princess Emma White of the white kingdom to be your wife and future queen, will you love and care for her until you're dying breath." Neal squeezes Emma's hands roughly making her look at him."

"I Lord Neal do take thy princess Emma White of the White kingdom to be my wife and future queen. I will love and care for you until my dying breath. I will be the king you need and you will be my queen." After he had finished he turned around and smiled at his father. Rumpelstiltskin nodded at his son, happy with the fact that his son was happy.

"Princess Emma do you take Lord Neal Cass, son of the dark one Rumpelstiltskin to be your husband and future king by marriage, will you love and care for him until you're dying breath."

The force of Neal squeezing increased will they waited for her answer. She knew what she had to say but she just couldn't. She couldn't do this, she didn't love him. She looks at her parents who were sitting in the front row. Her father wasn't looking but just kept staring at the floor, her mother was holding a handkerchief and was sobbing. She let her eyes travel through the crowd and found granny and Ruby. What she saw made her feel like she was doing something terribly wrong. Granny was shaking her head slowly and Ruby was crying. She couldn't do this!

"I Princess Emma do NOT take Neal Cass, son of the dark one Rumpelstiltskin!" The whole crowed gasped and all looked wide eyed at their princess.

"WHAT!" Neal cried grabbing her wrist and pulling at it.

"I will not marry you! I do not love you, I cannot love you!" Rumpelstiltskin let out a weird and freighting laugh. He looks at Emma and takes a step towards her.

"You do understand dearie that you will be breaking a deal, a deal with …..me!" He pointed a finger to his chest and the gesture alone was like a treat.

"And no one breaks a deal with me!" Queen Snow and King David came forward and started pleading with Emma, well David pleaded Snow demanded.

"Emma! You have to marry Neal! That was the deal!"

"Please Emma, reconsider what you are doing. You might grow to love him after a while."

"You have to marry me, I will be king and you have to do what your parents tell you." Neal cuts in.

"Who breaks a deal with me, doesn't get away easily. Pay to price and I'll be nice." Rumpelstiltskin sang.

They were backing her up further and further. Emma closed her eyes, she couldn't take this any longer. She wanted to be alone, she wanted to be free to make her own decision, she wanted…she wanted…to go to the only place she felt free, to the only person she could be herself with…Regina.

Her eyes snap open and a white light was shooting out of them, her fists clenched and unclenched. Her body became warmer and started to shake.  
BANG the arm bracelet of the blue fairy broke and white smoke swallowed Emma leaving only the broken pieces of the silver bracelet behind.

David was shocked but acted quick enough to catch his wife who fainted. The crowd started scream and several people were fleeting the hall. Neal screamed in frustrating at seeing his chance to become king dispatch. Rumpelstiltskin calm as ever crouched down and collected the pieces of bracelet.

"When did your daughter learn magic?" He asks turning to Snow and David.

"She didn't she had the bracelet on so she couldn't use magic!" David says patting his wife on the cheek trying to wake her up.

"Do you know how difficult it is to break this bracelet." He says clenching his hand and turning the broken pieces into dust.

"You broke my deal! And soon you will face the consequences." His voice was low and dark and full of suppressed anger. He wipes with his hand through the hair and he and his son are gone in a cloud of black smoke.

 **If you have questions please don't be afraid to ask them. I will always reply.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Freedom**

It had been two day since the last time she saw Emma and she was in pieces. She didn't understand why Emma hadn't come back. The first day she had been sitting on her bed expecting Emma's arrival every second but nothing came. When night had come she had become rather angry, why hadn't she visited her was it something she had said, something she had done. Maybe it was the kiss on the head, maybe Emma hadn't liked it.

The second day Regina started reading the roman Emma had collected for her but she couldn't focus on the words because every time the lovers in her book kissed or declared their love for each other her thoughts drifted off to Emma, it scared her but it warmth her as well. In the night of the second day she had come to the conclusion that she missed Emma, she needed Emma and she just might be falling in love with Emma.

When the white smoke appeared in the tower followed by a loud cry and a sobbing Emma in a large white wedding dress she jumped from shock.  
"I'm not doing it! I'm not doing it! I don't love him! I don't!" Emma cried and sobbed with her eyes shut and her hands running through her hair pulling at the veil.

"Emma! Emma! Calm down! What happened!"

When Emma hears her voice she looks up and pulls the veil of her head and throws it as far away as possible.  
"Regina! I'm sorry! I missed you so much!" Emma takes a step forward reaching through the bars and taking Regina hands in hers.  
"I couldn't do it!" Big tears were still falling down her face and Regina couldn't help but cry, she was sick and tired of being here and not able to do anything for Emma.  
"Emma give me your face again." Emma pushes her face as close as possible just like two days ago. Regina places her hands on either side of Emma's face whipping the tears away with her thumbs.  
"It's okay, it's all going to be okay." She does it so slow coming closer and closer until she can feel Emma's breath on her lips. When they touch the sensation isn't from this world. Her lips are soft, wet and salty. And Regina can't get enough of them before she can deepen the kiss a light shoots out of the both of them, gasping they pull away from each other feeling their lips, feeling them tingle.

The next moment they can see the barrier flicker several times before it explodes leaving little sparkling bubbles behind.  
Regina gently feels with her hand were the barrier use to be but nothing is holding her back anymore. She summons up her magic and bends the bars making a hole for her to step through. As soon as she is through the hole she enfolds Emma in her arms not ever wanting to let the girl go.  
"You did it." She whispers into Emma's ear. Emma shakes her head and looks Regina in the eyes.

"No! WE did it!"

This time it's Emma's turn to enact the kiss and it's with so much passion and Emotion. Emma nibbles lightly on Regina bottom lip, flicking her tongue over the little scar and sucking at her it. Regina moans and let her tongue explore Emma's mouth before they have to separate for oxygen and because the reality of what has to happen next crept up on them.

"What are we going to do now?" Emma asks with a husky voice still recovering from the passionate kiss. Regina pushes a hair out of her face while she thinks about the question.

"I want to leave this please and never come back. I want to take you with me but I understand if you can't do that, you have your parents here and you're the princess."

Emma shakes her head and cups Regina's cheek forcing her to look into her eyes.  
"I want to go with you, I want to be free and I feel free when I'm with you. Please take me with you."  
Regina eyes sparkled and turn a light purple, she flicks her wrist and they disappear in a purple cloud leaving the tower forever.

They reappear in the heart of the enchanted forest. The birds were chirping, rodents were playing with each other and Emma could detect a deer drinking at a stream.  
"Where are we it's so beautiful?" Regina smiles at takes Emma's hand in hers and closes her eyes letting the sunbeams cover her whole face. She lies down in the grass and Emma does the same.  
"I use to come here with my horse Rocinante when I was still queen and I needed some peace and silence. This is my happy place." Emma leans closer to Regina and lets her head rest on the brunettes chest.  
"Then I think I want to stay here forever." Emma closes her eyes and let the sound of nature roll over her.

It's wasn't until very late when they were surrounded by darkness that Emma woke up from the little snores of the person who was lying under her. Emma lifts her head up and looks at the sleeping features of Regina face and finds herself being drawn to those perfect pink lips.  
"Good evening." She whispers making Regina stir and slowly the brunette opens her eyes only to be met by a radiate smile.

"You were sleeping and pardon me for saying but also snoring quit loudly." Regina's cheeks colour a slight red off embarrassment of being caught snoring.

"I'm sorry about that, did I weak you up." Emma says no and gives Regina a peck on the lips before pulling herself up and looking around the area. The birds have stop chirping and the only sound you can hear is the cackling of the little stream.

"So where are we going to go now? We can't keep sleeping here." Regina gets up as well.

"Can you give me your hand Emma I need some help." Emma puts her hand in the offered one and watches Regina closely. She can feel her own magic coming alive in her body but it all floods to the side where Regina is holding her. Purple and light sparkles lighting up the forest and within seconds trees are bending, flowers come floating in, rocks are being moved and when everything quiets down there is a little small cottage revealed made out of wood, stone and flowers. It is absolutely magnificent.  
"So what do you thing." Regina asks nervously biting her lip. Emma lifts there joined hands to her mouth and kisses the back of Regina's hand.

"I think I'm falling in love with you Regina." A small gasp is heard and the smile Regina has on her face leaves Emma's breathless.

"I have already fallen, I love you Emma."

The cottage is fantastic. There were two fireplaces one downstairs in the kitchen and sitting room. The sitting room had a wooden bench with two big pieces of wolves fur that were extremely soft to the touch. The kitchen had a stove, table and chairs, the cupboard was already filth was several pieces of fruits and vegetables. Regina took a apple and ate it letting the sweet juice slipping down her chin which Emma caught by liking it of her chin.  
The second fireplace was upstairs were there was a large king-size bed with pillows made of goose feathers and sheets as soft a real clouds. There was also a bathtub which was already filth with water and rose pedals.  
"I can't believe you can do all this with magic!" Emma says the astonishment dripping of her face.  
"We did this together Emma, I used some of your magic by holding your hand." Regina explains. Emma wonders further into the room letting herself plop on the sheets of the bed rolling around until something else catches her eyes.  
Regina was feeling the bathtub water with her hand before removing the grey gown she was wearing and tossing it in the fireplace. She was completely naked under it. Emma let her eyes travel over Regina's body and couldn't help but let her mouth fall. Regina turns around and lifting the corners of her mouths in to a seductive smile.  
"Would you like to take a bath with me princess?" Emma nods her head actively, sitting up on the bed.  
"Why don't you come here and I help you undress." Regina says voice low and gesturing with her finger for Emma to come.  
Emma moves closer to Regina and stares into her eyes while Regina starts loosening the cords of the large dress. When a layer is loose she tosses it in the fire destroying it forever. When Emma is completely naked, the only thing visible of her wedding is her hair. Regina sits down in the tub first and guides Emma between her legs. Emma's back pressing against Regina's perfect breast. Just the feeling makes Emma moan. Regina starts pouring water on Emma head making it wet and untying every braid and getting ever daisy out. The gesture is so intimate it makes Emma heat up immediately.

"Regina….." She breaths. "I want you."

"Patience my love." Regina answers. "We have all the time in the world and no one to disturb us." Regina kisses Emma on her collarbone and keeps fixing Emma's hair. Emma enjoys the way Regina slender fingers comb through her hair, the way she kisses her neck every time a braid is uptight.  
When Emma's hair is done she turns around and makes Regina lie against her breasts taking some soap and a washing cloth she starts washing Regina. When Regina is free from any dirt bothering her Emma stars moving her hands over Regina body slightly tickling her, her hands move over those perfect globes of soft breasts. Regina breath hitches and the throbbing between her thighs increases. Emma let her hands wonder over Regina hips and stomach with every breath she takes Emma gets more courage and let her hands wonder even lower until she finds dark curls and she let her fingers explore Regina folds.

Before Emma can go any further and feel the smooth inside of Regina her wrist is pulled back and Regina gets out of the bath pulling Emma with her.  
As soon as Emma is save out of the bathtub they lips crash together and their tongues are exploring each other mouths. Distracting Emma by nibbling on her bottom lip Regina pushes her on the bed and straddles her lap. The sudden movement makes Emma laugh but soon their lips are connected again. Regina places her thigh between Emma legs pushing them apart and slipping a hand between them.  
"Yes! Regina…." Emma breaths out. Regina starts grinding against her hand making pressure on both their throbbing clits. Soon they are breathing louder and going faster but not enough to push them over the edge.  
"Regina please more! I need you inside of me!" Regina doesn't hesitate and pushes two fingers inside of Emma feeling the blonds walls contract around her fingers.  
"Yes Regina!" Emma cries out making Regina so turned on that she almost comes. Regina speeds up her movements going fast and deeper hitting Emma on her G-spot. This takes only seconds before Emma screams out in pleasure coming so hard that her eyes roll back in her head. Soon after Regina feels her own orgasm build up but before she can come Emma rolls them over straddling Regina and pushing two fingers inside the shocked woman. The rough action makes Regina come almost immediately shaking and breathing heavily. Emma keeps moving her fingers in and out of the brunette helping her ride out the orgasm.

"By the gods, where did you learn that Emma?" Regina asks with Emma still on top of her.

"I don't know I just wanted to feel you come with my fingers inside of you." Emma laughs and pushes a sweaty strain of hair out of Regina's face.

"You are so beautiful Regina!" Emma says with a soft voice studying Regina face.

"You as well my dear, my beautiful blond." Regina rolls them on to their sides tangling their sweaty limbs together but enjoying the closer contact.  
Regina leaves feather light kisses on Emma's nose making her smiling and gleaming.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: The meaning of war, family and love**

 **The white castle**

It had been two days since anyone had seen princess Emma. The kingdom was in shock and frightened over the rumours that were coming from the east of the border. There was a lot of activity in the dark castle and people were fleeting their homes trying to find refugee elsewhere.

In the meantime the white castle and there residents were waiting with a frightened heart for the arrival of Rumpelstiltskin and what his dark plan will be.

Snow and David were sitting in the council chambers discussing the matter with their trusted knights and the high council members.

"This is all your daughters fault! If she had done what she was supposed to do none of this would have happened.!" Lord Hamilton says.

"He is right, she should be punished for her actions." Several members of the council agreed and soon many of them were demanding the know where her she was. Snow held up her hand to the silence them all.

"As you all know we don't know where our daughter is. We don't even know if she is alive or dead. All we know is that we are going to need to defend the kingdom against the dark one in any way we can. The fairies." Snow gestured to blue who was also present. "Have agreed to help us in any way they can."

The door of the council chambers flies open letting a frightened grumpy in. "He's coming! He's coming!" Everyone looks shocked when all of the sudden Grumpy collapses to the floor.

"Actually dearie! I'm already here!" Rumpelstiltskin says smiling, he is sitting on the other side of the room playing with his fingers and looking very uninterested.

"Why are you here?" Lord Hamilton asks backing away standing behind Snow and David trying to protect himself.

"I'm here to warn all of you. I'm going to take over the kingdom and make my son king. And because I like the sound of people pleading and screaming I'm declaring a war and I will raise my black army and I will attack at dawn. All the people who are still here will die." Lord Hamilton and several other council members gasp at the warning making Rumpelstiltskin giggle.

"Oh I do love the sound of desperation! See you all tomorrow…..on the battle field." And gone was the awful man.

"I will not let him take this kingdom without a fight, we are the rightful rulers." Snows says determined but the trilling in her voice doesn't hide the fact that she is scared. "And I will stand beside you like I always have." David says embracing his wife when she starts sobbing.

Several of the lords of the council were leaving the room not willing to fight, deciding the flee.

The knights and their captain were going to stay. They were not afraid, they would die with honour trying to defend their kingdom and their rulers.

"Start forcing weapons! Find every man willing to fight! Tell the kitchen to prepare for war we will need our strength. We don't know what tomorrow will bring but I will not be scared, I will fight, who is with me!" the dozen knights start cheering and banging their swords against their shield while David holds his sword up high.

Trumpet were blown, the blacksmith started their fires and granny ordered the kitchen staff to start preparing pot roast. Ruby who had been ordered to help in the kitchen now after Emma was gone was frightened and she was shaking while she was cutting carrots.

"Ruby! Ruby come help me get the big pot from under the table." Ruby whips her tears away and helps her granny getting the big pot and putting it on the fire. She wanted to continue with her work when granny pulled her arm and led her away from preying ears.

"Stop crying and listen Ruby!" Granny takes Ruby's jaw between her fingers and making her look up into her eyes.

"I will protect you! I'm going to make sure no harm will come to you. Do you see the shutter where we just took the big pot off." Ruby let her eyes travel to the object Granny was talking about. "When I tell you to hid and run you will open the shutter and follow the tunnel it's a long tunnel and it will lead you to the border of the forest. You will run in to forest and find shelter make sure you are deep in the woods before finding the shelter. Do you understand? Ruby!" Ruby nodded her head. "I understand granny." Granny pulled Ruby into an embrace. "My sweet good girl."

 **The dark castle**

Neal was disappointed and angry he was supposed to become king. That was the deal he and his father had made. He would come back with him from Neverland and he would make him king. He had been waiting for twenty years, he was thirty-three now and he had waited long enough. They were back at the dark castle and his father had just left to announce the war to the white family. He was happy for the war all those years being in Neverland under Pan's ruling had made him bloodthirsty and vicious. He wanted to make them pay and most of all he wanted princess Emma dead, she had embarrassed him for hundreds of people and she was going to die for humiliating him.

He stood up and went to the cupboard pouring himself a glass of wine when his father reappeared again. Neal poured a second glass and handed this to his father.

"So will there be war tomorrow?" Neal asks with a grin, hoping there will be war.

"Oh yes my son, people will blead and scream and before the clock turns twelve you will be sitting on the thrown of the white kingdom. King Neal son of the dark one ruler of the white kingdom." Rumpelstiltskin lifted the glass to his lips. "Bottoms up." He said.

"There is one more thing father."

"And what is that?" Rumpelstiltskin asks watching his son suspiciously.

"I want Emma White dead!" The dead glare in his son's eyes reminded him of himself.

"Will that will be a bit of a problem." Rumpelstiltskin had to admit. "I don't know where she is."

"What!" Neal smashed down his glass watching it explode in a million tiny pieces when it hit the ground. "You are the dark one! You are the most powerful sorcerer in the realms and you tell me you can't find a stupid little girl." Neal groaned.

"Yes indeed! I have never really thought much of it but she is the product of true love. She is protected by this. I cannot find her unless she wants me to and I cannot she her future in all of this."

"What do you mean?" He eyed his father and could detect something in his eyes which made him wary about all of this, doubt.

"I mean I cannot see her future but I did see our victory tomorrow. You will be king." He tried the reassure his son.

"Do not take me as a foul father! She has magic and you cannot see her future, she is a threat and you are scared of her!" It was Rumpelstiltskin turn to smash his glass.

"I'm not scared, I'm not a coward! She is no threat and I will find her and I will kill her and nothing can stop me!" He walks out of the room knocking over some chairs and destroying a glass vase.

Neal was grinning as he watched his father leave, he does not need his father's dagger to control him.

He walks casually to the window watching his father in the courtyard. He looks at his father as he let his hands swipe through the air producing dark smoke covering the whole courtyard and disappear again leaving thousands of black soldiers standing with their spears in the air. He walks back to the cupboard and produces an new glass and fills it with some scotch again. He takes a deep breath and let the liquid warm his throat. "Tomorrow is going to be a good day." He said smiling.

 **When darkness destroys light.**

At dawn he had said and at dawn he had come followed by thousands and thousands of black soldiers with black eyes. They were standing across from the royal meadow that once was the pride and joy of the kingdom but now it was the perfect place for a battle. Rumpelstiltskin and Neal were both dress in hauberk riding on black stallions. Neal had wanted to personally guided the demon soldiers and he was proud to be at the front of everything.

At the other side of the meadow lies the white castle his banners high on top of each tower. Kind David had decided that the best strategy was to protect the castle and not go out and attack the enemy. Archers were standing on the walls while soldiers were warming themselves up in the courtyard. King David had put on his battle armour with the white unicorn on his shield, he was standing on the walls and watched with weak eyes what the enemy was doing. "Have they started warming the peck?" He asks one of his captains. "Yes my lord! And the alchemies are making balls that can explode killing at least a dozen men with one ball." David nodded gripping the handle of his sword. They should have never made the deal, they should have just killed the evil queen! He didn't blame his daughter, he would have been surprised if she had married Neal without objection. His daughter was strong headed and he like her for it. He hoped wherever she was that she would be save and happy.

Pheeeeeeeeeeeee! The enemy blows there trumpets signalling to start the attack. The black soldiers start banging their spears against their armour making a treating sound. David can see two black stallions in the front line on the stallions he sees Rumpelstiltskin and his son. Neal is holding a sword up in the air, it gleams in the sun. He lowers his sword and they start the attack. A thousand soldiers start running without thinking to the white castle when they reach the rose bushes the archers on the walls are letting go of their arrows killing many but the enemies number are too big they reach the walls and the wooden gate, they start banging against the gate with a rammer.

David watches with horror as the gate creaks. "These are no normal men, there're magic." David yells hearing the final bang when the gate falls down and the courtyard is soon covered with black soldiers.

Queen Snow is sitting in the main hall on her thrown she tries the smile and gives hopeful speeches the all who had come to the castle thinking it was a safe place. It became harder and harder for her every time she hears a child cry, or a girl who starts having a panic attack.

"Good people please do not be frighten, we have good and strong men. They will protect us against the evil and they will …."

A loud bang is heard and people start to scream. Snow stands up and makes her way through the crowd of people to the doors of the main hall. She takes a deep breath and opens them. The screams of agony are growing louder and louder making Snow stomach turn.

She walks further smelling smoke when she turns a corner and comes to a widow that has a clear view of the courtyard she has to steady herself. White soldiers are fighting black soldiers. Some are tripping over the dead corpses, in the middle of a fight she sees her husband decapitating a black soldier. She holds her hand over her mouth but can't hold in the vomit that escapes her mouth. She walks back to the main hall but her face cannot hide the terror she has just seen.

"Queen Snow! What is happening? Are our men winning?" A noble lady asks hoping for a hopeful answer.

"Everyone get back! Who of you knows how to fire a bow?" Snow asks watching the faces of everyone in the room turn to horror. Some courage's ladies are holding up their hands, young boys under the age of twelve are coming forward and some old and sick man are ready to fight one last time. Each of them is given a bow and they make a long line in front of the main hall doors.

"When they come through the doors you will take your aim and fire, try to kill as many as possible then we might stand a chance." Snow is standing in the middle of the line hearing footsteps coming closer and closer.

Granny walks back in the kitchen closing and locking the door, barricading it. "Granny what is happening outside." Granny steps closer to Ruby gripping her arm and dragging her to the shutter.

"It's time! You hide and run! Do you remember what I told you?" Ruby starts crying.

"Ruby! Do you remember what I told you!" Granny screams making Ruby focus.

"I remember!" Rubs says her voice shaking." Granny opens the shutter and pushes Ruby in.

"I love you my grandchild!" She says giving Ruby a kiss on the head. "Now RUN!"

She shuts the shutter and grabs some heaving flower bags dragging them over it and hiding the shutter from sight. Granny walks to one of her cooking pots opening the cap and pulling out her beloved crossbow. When granny was younger she liked to hunt and shoot the food she was going to serve the royals. Always hitting her prey right between the eyes. She takes a chair and aims her crossbow at the door hearing the first bang against the door.

It doesn't take long before the door is shattered and the first black soldiers are coming in. Granny hits the first one right between the eyes. The second one she hits in the neck, the third one comes close before she shoots him in the heart but the fourth one was too fast for her. He jabs his sword in her stomach and granny falls to the ground. She feels warm blood dripping through her fingers, her eyes are fixed on the couple of flower bags when she lets out a single tear. "I love you Ruby."

"Hahahaha!" Neal looks around still laughing. "Hahahaha! They really thought they had a chance. Fouls!" He hit the corpse of an old men in the head making his way through the main hall over the dead bodies. He walks up to his thrown cleaning of some blood with his sleeve and sitting down. Rumpelstiltskin follows his son holding a handkerchief over his nose.

"I'm like the sight of corpses but the smell…..yak!" He waves trying to wave away the stank.

Rumpelstiltskin went to stand beside his son giving him a squeeze in the shoulder. "Bring them in!" Neal demands.

Two black soldiers carry in Snow and David. Snow's dress was torn and she had cut on her right cheek. David look like he was going to fall down any second and die, he was stabbed in the shoulder and he was losing a lot of blood.

"Make them kneel!" Neal cried with a smile on his face. The soldier pushes Snow and David on their knees in a puddle of blood.

"Who is your king?" Neal asks but they remain quiet. Neal clenches his fists. "Bring a survivor in!" He ordered. A young girl with red hair was being drag it by her feet, she was kicking and screaming.

"Tell me who is your king or watch her die." Snow starts to cry.

"You are! You are the king, let the girl go." Snow pleads. Neal grins and sit up straight.

"You don't get to order me around." He snaps his finger and Snow finds herself looking at the girls head that rolls by her.

"Now answer me the next question! Where is your daughter?" Neal stands up and walks closer to David poking the man whose eyes were glazing.

"We don't know where our daughter is, we haven't seen her since the wedding." Snow sobs. Neal gives David a soft push and the man falls down unconscious. Snow leans over her husband as much as she can with her hands bound. "David! David come back! Come back to me!"

Neal groans. "Stop your sobbing! It's irritating." Rumpelstiltskin steps forward and let his hand room over David's body healing his wound. Neal pulls at his father's arm. "What the hell are you doing? Why are you healing him?"

"Because my dear son!" Rumpelstiltskin says yanking his arm back. "We need our bait alive!"

Emma was sitting on Regina's lower back kneading the muscles of the beautiful brunettes shoulders.

"That feels so good." Regina moans. "Please keep doing that until I die." Emma laughs and gave Regina's collarbone a kiss.

"Everything for you my love." They had been living in a dream. Eating, sleeping and making love and after this evening's round of pleasure, Regina had stretched a muscle in her shoulder and Emma was glad she could help her fix it.

"You have the softest and sweeties skin Regina! I want to lick every inch over your body." Regina chuckles.

"I'm not complaining, go ahead."

Just when Emma wanted to lick the spot behind Regina's ear, the one she knows will make the Brunette squirm, they can hear a knock. Both their head snap up waiting and listen for another sound. The knock come back but longer this time. Emma rolls of Regina and pull the sheets over her naked body.

"Stay here! Don't make a sound!" Regina puts on a robe and walks down the stairs to the front door.

"Who there?" She cries out.

"Please help me!" A desperate voice cries followed by sobs.


	10. Chapter 10

**Thank you Mirany17 and guest for your nice comments. I hope you all like the next chapter. Kisses to you all!**

 **Chapter 10: Life is built on choices**

Regina opens the door and finds a young brunette girl. The girl is breathing heavily her clothes are ripped and the bottom of her skirt is covered with a thick layer of dirt. Before Regina can ask the girl anything she falls over and Regina grabs her just in time before the girl hits her head. "Emma! Can you come down and help me!" Regina cries while draping an arm over her shoulder and dragging the girl inside so she can shut the door. Emma's head peeks around the corner.

"Can you help me lift her we need to get her to the bench, the poor girl is exhausted." She locks eyes with Emma but Emma just keeps standing there.  
"Emma what's wrong?" Regina asks, the weight of the girl is starting to get to her. Emma snaps out of her shock and rushes to Regina helping her lay the girl on the bench and covering her up with the warm fur. Emma sits beside the girl and starts crying.  
"Emma? Emma what's wrong? Do you know her?" Regina asks concerned. Emma nods pushing a strain of hair out of the girls face.  
"This is Ruby, she's my friend. My best friend." Emma takes Ruby's hand in hers and rubs soothing circles.

Regina leaves Emma with Ruby and goes the gather a pitcher of water and cups for when the girl wakes up. Regina was wary about Ruby's present, what was the girl doing here and what had happened to her to look so torn. Regina was scared she didn't want to leave their little bubble of happiness at least not so soon. She fills the pitcher and brings it back into the sitting room. Emma is still clutching Ruby's hand, she sets the pitcher on the little wooden table and takes a chair to sit next to Emma.  
"Emma?" Regina whispers.

"I want to know what happened to her! I want to know why she is here." Regina pushes Emma hair out of her face and let her forehead rest against Emma temple.

"When she will wake up she will tell us everything. It's late, she needs to sleep and so do you." Emma shakes her head.

"I want to be here when she wakes up."

"I understand, I will get some sheets and we can make ourselves a bed on the floor. When she wakes up you will be the first to know. How does that sound?" Emma answers Regina with a kiss to the lips. "Thank you."

Regina gathers the sheets and folds them open on the floor next to the bench and next to the fireplace. She lies down and waits for Emma to join her. Emma does but faces the bench making sure she can see Ruby lying. Regina let her hand fall on Emma's stomach while spooning her. She leaves a kiss on the blonds shoulder knowing that she will not be sleeping tonight.

Emma had been determined to not fall asleep but she had failed and when the morning came she was awoken by the sound of light footsteps making their way across the room. Emma opens her eyes and sees Regina in their little kitchen boiling water and plucking the leaves of a plant before throwing them into the boiling water. Emma looks over the Ruby who was still fast asleep but her cheeks weren't so pale anymore they had gotten a light shade of pink. Emma thought of this as a good sign and made her way to Regina in de kitchen kissing her cheek.  
"What are you making?" Emma asks looking in the boiling water.  
"I'm making a thee that will help her gain some more energy when she wakes up." Regina says throwing more leaves in the water. "You can have a cup if you want, it will help you as well." Regina says handing Emma a cup who in her turn scoops up some of the thee.  
"Mmm this smells nice." Emma says before drinking it and letting the liquid warm her throat. "And it taste good." Emma gives Regina another peck on the cheek and goes back into the sitting room.

It took another hour for Ruby to wake up. She was stirring in her sleep and Emma put her hand on Ruby's cheek trying to waken her up completely.

"Ruby." Emma's voice whispers. "Ruby wake up. Can you tell me what happened?" Ruby opens her eyes slowly and when her vision is better and she can make out the face in front of her.  
"Emma…?" She breaths not believing her own eyes. Emma nods and wipes the moisture out of her eyes.  
"Oh Emma…..you…they…Neal…and…..granny." Ruby launches herself into Emma arms and sobs. Emma can't make out anything with Ruby crying like this. Regina comes into the room and gives Emma a cup of the thee for Ruby. Ruby takes the cup and watches Regina was suspicious eyes.  
"Who….she?" Ruby asks still sobbing.  
"Why don't you drink your thee dear, I will make you relax." Regina says and Ruby takes a sip of the thee.  
"Now Ruby can you tell me what happened to you?" Emma asks rubbing Ruby's back.

"He came…..Rumpelstiltskin…..he declared war and you parents decided to fight him. It was a bloodbath….so many death…..so….granny….she….." Ruby buries her face in Emma's neck breathing heavily.  
"What happened to granny?"

Regina puts a hand on Emma's shoulder already knowing the answer to the horrible question. "Emma I think granny died." Regina says, she feels sorry that she has to say it to Emma but she needs to hear the words if she wants the process what happened. Regina remembers the name granny from when she was queen. It was the nice lady in the kitchen, Regina knew her by the name Eugenia and the woman was always very nice to her. Just like Ruby Emma starts sobbing as well. Regina takes Emma in her arms and holds her.  
So there they were, Emma holding Ruby and Regina holding Emma. Their lovely bubble had blown up and they had gone back to reality.

It had taken another hour for Emma to fully carps the reality of things. Ruby had stopped crying and explain to Emma what had happened the minute Emma had disappear. From the moment her parents had tried to find her, to the war declaration, to the demon army of black soldiers. She told her how granny had told her about the shutter and how granny had pushed her in when the black soldiers where making their way into the kitchen. She hadn't run immediately she had watched granny shoot those arrows through a creak in the shutter and had seen granny fall down.

"What happened to my parents?" Emma asks. Regina had been sitting on a chair while ruby had told everything but at the mention of Emma parents Regina couldn't help feeling some joy in the idea that Snow-White might be dead. She knows it's awful thinking like that and Emma has changed her but still it was how she felt.

"I….Think there dead, but I don't know. I wasn't there when they entered the main hall." Emma runs her fingers through her hair. "So they might still be alive?"  
"Yes they might but I don't want to give you any falls hope Emma." Emma nods and stands up. She hates her parents for what they tried to do to her but they were still her parents. She does still love them. She looks at Regina but the brunette is avoiding her gaze.

"Regina…." Regina helds up her hand making Emma stop before she can saying anything.

"I know Emma and I understand." Regina takes Emma hand and intertwines them. "You want to find out what happened to them and I understand completely and you should want to find that out and I will go with you." Emma smiles through her tears and kisses Regina not noticing how confused Ruby is looking at them.

"Emma?" Ruby asks making Emma pull back from Regina. "I'm sorry for asking but who is she?" Emma smiles and takes Regina hand.

"Well first of all don't freak out. But do you remember the stories about the evil and dangerous queen." Regina gives Emma a gentle slap.

"Well turns out she isn't dead and she isn't evil and dangerous anymore."

They wait for Ruby to say something but she just keeps looking at them with her mouth wide open.

"You…..and the ev…I mean Regina? For real?"

"Yes She is my true love, I rescued her from the west wing tower." Ruby was still gaping at them but she was also happy for her best friend. It reminded her off something granny use to say. Even in the darkest of time people can find light.

Ruby turns to Regina and looks her up and down.  
"You better not hurt her!" Ruby says.

"I won't she's my happy ending." Emma pecks Regina cheek for the nice comment. They all sit back down.

"so what are we going to do?" Regina asks hesitated.

"I need to know if my parents are alive. Maybe if I go to the nearest village and asked around people might be able to tell me more." Regina shakes her head.

"NO! You're not going. It's too dangerous what if Neal and Rumpelstiltskin are sending out soldiers to track you down. It's been two days since the battle they will have reach the nearest village by now."

"But I need to know Regina, I can't live without knowing."

"I understand that Emma, you are not going but I will. I haven't been out there in twenty years no one will recognize me."  
Emma didn't like the idea of Regina going alone to the village but she did understand why she was the only one who could do it without being recognized and Ruby was still recovering from her flee through the forest.

So it happened to be that Regina arrived at the village just past midday. She wore a simple skirt and blouse and people would see her as normal woman. Regina decided to go the market place it was going to be the best way to gather the information she needed.

It was busy at the market place and people were talking and promoting their products. Regina ignored the loud fat man who was yelling at her to go and look at his melons. She walk to a little booth of an old lady who was talking in whispers to three other old ladies.

"I heard that non were shown mercy." The booth lady says.

"Not even the children or the women at court?" One of the three women asks with her hand in front of her mouth.

"No one!" The three women gasped. Regina steps closer and mixed her casually into the conversation.

"What about the king and queen?" She asks.

The booth lady looks Regina up and down. "I have heard that they are alive. My friend Gertrude was hired yesterday to be the new cook of the castle and she told me that they are keeping them alive as bait." Regina leans in closer.

"It seems that the new king, king Neal wants to use the parents to get to the missing princess. He wants her dead!" Regina keeps her face neutral but inside she was crumbling down. She cannot tell Emma this! Emma will leave to save her parents. Regina knows Rumpelstiltskin and he will definitely trap Emma and kill her. She cannot lose Emma, she can't lose her true love.

Regina wanders around the market for about an hour. She doesn't know what to do. Should she tell Emma the truth and watch her trying to save her parents. If she goes she could be killed. Regina makes up her mind, she's going to protect her love even if it means lying to her.  
Regina hurries back to the cottage making sure she isn't followed. When she enters the cottage she can see that Ruby is up and walking around. Emma is sitting in front of the fireplace looking at the flames. The moment Regina shuts the door Emma is upon her.

"What did you find out." Emma asks curiously. Regina takes of her robe and hangs it up. Emma is watching her every move full of anticipation.

"Emma…I'm so sorry but your parents. They…they were killed." Regina watches Emma's reaction but she is surprise to see that instead of sadness she sees anger.

"Why are you lying?!" Emma asks raising her voice.  
"I'm …..not." Emma watches Regina suspiciously.  
"Yes you are! You are lying to me! Why are you lying to me! And don't say that you aren't lying because I can tell." Regina lowers her head, she feels so bad about this.

"Emma, please. You have to understand I'm trying to protect you. Rumpelstiltskin is keeping your parents alive to trap you and kill you. I didn't want you to go, I still don't want you to go." Emma turns her back to Regina. Yes she understands that Regina wants to protect her but they are her parents and she can't just sit around and do nothing.

"I do understand you Regina, I do but I have to take the risk. They are still my parents and no matter what happened these last week's they do gave me a wonderful childhood and I know they love me and I love them. I have to go." Regina takes her hands.

"Please Emma! Don't go I can't risk losing you. I will die if I lose you." Emma lifts their joined hands and kisses Regina fingers one by one.

"We will make a plan alright. I want to know all my options, you're not losing me." Regina closes her eyes and let Emma pull her in an embrace.

"I'm sorry I lied, I just can't lose you." Emma kisses to the top of Regina's head.

"I love you Regina."

The rest of the evening is rather quiet they decided to not speak of anything until the next morning. Ruby decides she wants the help as well. Emma and Regina are lying in the bed. Regina is fast asleep, Emma had noticed since Regina was able to sleep again that the woman was a heavy sleeper and not even the sound of a cannonball could wake her so when Emma step out of the bed a little after midnight she didn't wake Regina and when Emma used her magic to teleport herself away Regina didn't even stir.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: Trapped**

Everything around the castle was quiet and no birds were singing or flying so they were not disturbed when a bright white light lighted up the darkness around the castle grounds and stables.

As soon as Emma's vision had become clear she moved away from the stables running to the hidden door under the ivy. She would have never thought that she would ever use this knowledge to break into the place she once called home. She runs up the stairs and Soon she finds herself inside the castle.

While walking around the halls everything feels different, there were a lot of black guards patrolling the halls and Emma had to hide every time she could hear their heavy boots on the ground. When Emma passed the doors of the kitchen she felt a pull at her heart. She wished she could hear Granny yelling commands to the other kitchen maids but everything was deadly quiet. After what felt like an hour she finally made her way to the castle dungeons. She had never any reason to visit the castle dungeons but it was the only place she could thing of where her parents would be kept.

Emma had never been to the dungeons before if she had she had probably noticed that the guards were missing and that the door wasn't locked like it was supposed to be. Emma steps forward and looks into every cell and with every cell her hope fads piece by piece. Some cells were empty other still contained bodies of men, woman and even children. Emma had to take a step back because she could feel herself becoming sick and this was defiantly not the right time to vomit.

It wasn't until she looked into the last cell that her heart jumped in joy at seeing her parents. But the joy she felt was soon replaced by worry when she saw that they were hurt especially her father.

"Mom? Dad?" She whispers through the bars. Her mother was the only awake enough to hear the whisper. She had her husband's head on her lap and looked in the direction of the sound. Her eyes filled with tears when she sees her daughter.

"Emma?" She asks not believing her own eyes. Emma gives her a small smile and opens the door using her magic.

"I'm here to help you. We have to get out of here." Snow smiles as well but the smile turns in to panic very quickly.

"No…Don't come any closer! Emma leave. Run!" She yells her whole body shaking making David stir and groan on her lap. His wound was healed but he still had a severe concussion.

"Mom? What's wrong?" Emma takes a step forward but was blasted back. Her back hitting the wall of the dungeon, she could hear a crack and the pain she felt was like she had just broken her spin. The air was pushed out of her lungs and for a moment she saw black spots. When her vision became clear her parents were gone and instead Rumpelstiltskin was standing there was a wicked smile on his face.

"Did you really thought it would this easy? My dear girl, I thought you were smarter." He smiled and snaps his fingers. Two heavy silver handcuffs appeared on her wrists.

"Do you like them? They are not like the last ones, you will not be able to break these with you light magic? Only dark magic can break them and you don't have any!"

Emma looked at the handcuffs and tried her magic but instead of a white light shining from her hands she felt a sharp pain like a thousand needles piercing her hand.

She cried out and felt tears gathering in her eyes.

"My son wants you dead!" Rumpelstiltskin says looking at her with a evil smirk. "And I do everything for my son happiness. You will died tomorrow and your lovely parents can watch before I kill them as well." He lifts Emma up with his magic and places her in the cell before closing the door.

"Why don't you rest it will be very special day for you." Emma can hear his laughter, she stands up and rushes to the door of her cell. She bangs her wrists with the handcuffs against it.

"You can't do this! RUMPELSTILSKIN!I" Emma let herself fall to the floor. How could she have been so stupid! Why didn't she listen to Regina! She places her head on her knees and starts to cry. "I'm sorry Regina, I'm so sorry." She whispers.

The morning light was gleaming through the small window in the cottage. Regina could feel the warmth of the sun on her eye lids and for a second she had forgotten their worries. She turns around trying to find the warm body of the woman she loves but her hand remained empty and cold for she could not find the warm body of her love. Regina snaps awake her eyes looking around she could not find a glimpse of her beautiful blonde.

"Emma!" She gets no answer. Regina grabs a gown and hurries down stairs only to find a sleeping Ruby.

"Emma!" She cries out louder. "Emma!" Ruby stirs in her sleep.

"Regina way are you yelling?" Regina ignores Ruby's sleeping voice and pulls open the door of the cottage. "EMMA!" Still no answers of the blond. Regina runs her fingers through her hair. "No, No, No. Please don't be this stupid! Please Emma." Tears are falling from her eyes like waterfalls.

Ruby is complexly awake now and she takes Regina hands in hers trying to calm her down.

"Regina! Regina tell me what's wrong?" Ruby tries getting through the woman.

"It's Emma, I can't find her anywhere! She's gone!" Saying the words aloud makes her realize the severity of the situation.

"What do you mean she's gone?"

"Gone! Gone! I think she has gone to save her parents. She promise me we wouldn't do that alone and she left me!" Regina cries are becoming louder and louder. Ruby doesn't know what to do to sooth the woman she just met, so she decides to take the woman in her arms and hold her trying to calm her down.

"Shhhh, please calm down Regina we are going to make a plan and figure it out. We will save Emma." Regina starts shaking her head.

"No! We don't have time to make a plan." She takes a step back from Ruby.

"I need to save her right now!"

Regina flicks her wrist and her whole body is covered in purple smoke.

Ruby can't see through the purple smoke but when it clears Regina is gone.


	12. Chapter 12

**Two chapters today because they were short.**

 **Chapter 12: Long live princess Emma**

Neal was pouring himself a cup of wine when his father came barging in.

"Good news my dear boy!" He says with the biggest smile on his face. Neal takes a sip of the wine and let the liquid swim around in his mouth for a moment. He had to admit king David had a very nice collection of the best wine he has ever drank.

"What news?" He asks his father.

"I have captured a swan and we will roast it today." Neal rolls his eyes. His father was starting to irritate him with his nonsense and his crazy talk. He was weird when Neal left him to go to Neverland but when he came back with his father, he truly believed that his father had gone completely mad. Which isn't a bad thing, no Neal could manipulate is father better when he was in his crazy mode.

"How lovely father, I'm sure I will enjoy it at lunch."

Rumpelstiltskin laughed. "No my dear boy, I mean the swan you wish to kill. I have captured the princess." Neal choked on his drink and spills his wine on his white vest.

"You have captured princess Emma?" The imp nods. Neal smiles, he throws his cup away and gives his father a hug. He can hear him gasping at the sudden gesture of affection.

"This is the best new in days! And you want to roast her?"

"Yes I would like to see her burn unless you have something else in mind my dear boy." Neal shakes his head.

"You're a sick man father but I do love the way your brain works." Neal goes to the wine cabinet and pours himself and his father a new cup of wine.

"What do you think about roasting the swan around lunch time."

"My dearest boy that would be perfect."

'I'm an idiot.' Emma thought. If I had listen to Regina and stayed with her we would have figured out a safe plan. I'm such an idiot.

Emma was feeling so guilty and bad. She couldn't believe what she had done. She had left Regina alone without telling her what she was going to do.

Tears were gathering in her eyes, she was never going to see Regina again and she was going to die today. Why didn't she just marry Neal, she should have fried Regina and let her leave. She would have found someone else, someone better. She deserves so much more than the life I can give her.

Emma can hear the sound of heavy boots coming closer to her cell. Her cell door is opened and a black guard throws her mother and father in the cell.

"You have five minutes to say your goodbyes!" Emma's tears fall and she hurries to her parents holding them in a tight embrace.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry. I should have listen, I'm sorry." Snow shakes her head and pushes Emma away so she can look her in the eye.

"No! Don't be sorry! We are sorry, we should have never made you marry Neal. He is a cruel and evil man just like his father, he doesn't even deserve to look at you." Snow starts crying as well.

"I just…I wish we could go back in time. I wanted so much for you. I wanted you to have love, to find someone like me and your father, who understands you and puts you before their own needs. Please forgive us for failing you." Emma pulls her parents back in a hug. She wants to tell them that she has found that person they wanted for her but they are disturb by the black guard again.

"Time's up!" He pulls at her parents chains pulling them away from Emma.

"Please! No! Mom!Dad!" Emma yells but the guard ignores her pleas. He shuts the door again and Emma falls to the ground on her knees.

Emma runs her hand through her hair, she needs the find an escape anything. She looks at the handcuffs around her wrists. She can't use her magic but she bets she can hurt someone when she hits them with the handcuffs.

A minute later her cell door is opened again and a smug looking Neal steps in he carries a golden dress with pink diamonds.

"Hello my princess. You don't look well." He grins.

"What do you want you snake!" Emma groans. Neal steps closer trying to scare Emma but he fails. Emma doesn't back away but instead holds her chin up high. Neal hates this, why does she have to be so strong willed and suborn. A woman has to know her place and that is in the dirt kneeling before a man, the superior creature.

"I want you to wear this dress to you execution. Isn't that nice of me? You can clean yourself and dress up so everyone can see how beautiful or princess burns." He throws the dress in her face. "Now STRIP!"

Emma knows he wants to humiliate her just like she humiliated him when she refused him at the altar. But she isn't weak and she doesn't take orders.

"No! I will not strip and you can shove this dress up your ass." Neal's face is turning red from anger and he steps even closer gripping Emma's throat and squeezing.

"You will do what I say!" Emma feels his hand putting more pressure on her throat. She starts kicking with her legs against his calf's. He looks down amused. "Do you really think kicking me against my ….." Emma swings with the handcuffs hitting Neal in the face she can hear something cracking and she is pretty sure she has just broken his cheek. Neal stumbles back gripping his nose and screaming in agony.

"YOU BITCH!" He screams, he wants to take a swing at her but a hands stops him by gripping his wrist.

"Dear boy are you loosing you temper?" Rumpelstiltskin says looking Neal dead in the eye.

"She hits me! I think she broke my nose!" Neal whines. Rumpelstiltskin rolls his eyes and waves over Neal's cheek healing it.

"Better? And it wasn't you nose but you cheek that she broke." He now looks at Emma snapping his fingers and the next second Emma is dressed in the golden dress, her make-up light and her hair looking like they have spent hours preparing it.

"Seems like our princess it ready for the festivities." He grins and Emma wants to smack his grin away but black guards enter the cell and pull her away taking her outside to her execution.

The sun was already standing high blinding Emma when she was pulled outside and across the courtyard. The courtyard was filled with people who were forced to come and witness the end of their princess and the king and queen.

The black guards that were guiding Emma through the masses pushed every person away. "Out of the way! Make space for you dying princess!" They mocked and laughed.

Neal was sitting on a throne at the side of the bonfire were Emma was going to be placed on. Rumpelstiltskin stood beside his son supporting him by putting a hand on his shoulder. On the right of the throne they had built a wooden cage were Emma her parents were locked in, her mother was crying and holding her hand before her mouth. Her father was lying on the ground. His concussion getter worse in which he couldn't stay awake for longer than a minute. Emma felt sorry for her parents they shouldn't have to pay for her stubbornness.

The guards pushed Emma forward until she fell on her knees before Neal.

"Finally you are kneeling before me." Neal laughed showing his teeth. "Do you have anything to say before we light you on fire?" Emma knew Neal was challenging her, he wanted her the plea and beg for him to spare her life but Emma wasn't that kind of girl. She was strong for her age and she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction.

"Just one thing! No matter what you do after this day, you will never been seen as a real king! There will never be a king Neal." Emma grinned at seeing the look on Neal's face is furious ad his face became red from anger.

"BURN THE BITCH!" He yells. The black guards pulling Emma back to her feet and people who had that watch started the cry out for their princess.

"Let her go!"

"Long live princess Emma!"

"Dead to the dark one and his son."

The cuffed Emma onto a wooden pillar in the middle of the bonfire. There was no escaping, Neal got off his throne and walked the distance to the bonfire taking the burning torch for the executioner.

"SILENCE!" He yelled and the courtyard quieted down.

"Today the fourth of summer I condemn you princess Emma of the white kingdom to dead. My the gods have mercy on your soul and let your trip to the other side be an unpleasant one."

He raises the torch high but before he could lit the bonfire he was blasted away, his head hitting the stone ground of the palace courtyard.

Rumpelstiltskin face was utter shock when he watches his son fly. He turns and stares at the person responsible already making the perfect plan to kill this person.

But when he turns and sees who it was he was lost for words!

"YOU….! "


	13. Chapter 13

**So this the last chapter before the epilogue** **Enjoy!**

 **Chapter 13: Dying for the one I love**

"You! How did you get out of your prison?" Rumpelstiltskin glares at Regina who is still holding her hands up ready to throw a fireball if needed.

"I got out for the same reason you thought I was never going to get out of there. I have found my true love!"

Rumpelstiltskin's eyes couldn't hide the fact that he did not see this coming, he had forgotten about Regina. He did thought she would never be able to get out of there. The prison bars were protected with magic of the dark one and the blue fairy only the strongest of magic could break through the barrier. The most powerful magic is true love and if Regina had found it…..than this was going to be difficult.

"Well dearie how wonderful, do you mind telling me who your true love is. I do want to meet the handsome fellow who could fix your cold and broken heart."

Regina couldn't help but smile at the words of the dark one. Emma had indeed fixed her broken heart. She waved with her hand and Emma was transported from the bonfire to standing next to Regina.

"Yes she is indeed handsome, but I prefer to call her beautiful." Regina grabs Emma's hand and gives it a kiss locking their eyes in this small but perfect moment. Regina sees the handcuffs on Emma's wrists and removes them. The handcuffs couldn't be taken off by light magic but only by dark magic something Regina knew all too well.

"You and HER!" Rumpelstiltskin cries out. "You are true loves! How ironic!" The women were looking at Rumpelstiltskin now. He was getting angrier with the minute but they didn't look away they were going to face everything together.

The dark one puts on a brave face but he was panicking. The evil queen with the product of true love, who also share true love. He had to destroy them, they could be his undoing, they were powerful enough the destroy him.

Emma felt a herself getting colder. Her heart was racing but her longs weren't taking in any breathes. Her vision was becoming blurry and her grip on Regina's hand was none existed.

"Emma?" Regina asks feeling the changes. Emma looks at Regina but her legs are too weak to keep her standing. She sinks to the ground, she can't breathe.

"Emma!" Regina cries reaching for the blond before her head hits the ground.

"What are you doing, IMP!" Regina spits holding Emma in her arms shaking her trying to wake her up.

"Just making sure she dies." Regina puts Emma head down gently and stands up facing Rumpel her eyes turning a dark purple.

"YOU WIL NOT TAKE HER AWAY FROM ME!" Regina yells.

The people who were gathered in the courtyard were panicking at seeing the two powerful sorcerers arguing. They were pushing and pulling black guars down so they could escape the courtyard.

It was complete chaos when Neal finally came by. His neck was sore and he had a headache. He looked around for the person who had done this to him when he saw his father and Regina.

"Father! Who is this witch!" He asks running to Rumpelstiltskin.

"This witch is someone I had forgotten about a long time ago. But that doesn't matter I will destroy her nevertheless." He flicks his wrists and a Regina was throw across the courtyard falling on her knees. She could feel the sting of the fall and the skin of her knees was red with blood.

Regina creates a fireball and throws it at Rumpelstiltskin head who had enough time to lower his head losing his focus on the spell he was casting on Emma.

Emma opens her eyes and gets up. Regina is happy to see her love standing up again. She wants to run to her and hug her but she has to dug when Neal is waving his sword in the air missing Regina's head by a hair. When Regina is recovered again from the surprise she feels a sharp pain in her side where Neal has just stab her.

Regina cries out clutching the wound with her hand. Emma feels anger boiling inside of her, she doesn't think she just feels a white light escaping her hands hitting Neal and sending him flying. He lands on top of several black guards who's spears were extremely sharp piercing through his skin and his heart, killing him at impact.

"NOOOOOOOOOOO! You killed me son!" Rumpelstiltskin screams using his magic to grip Regina throat and lifting her up in the air choking her.

Regina has to loosen her grip on her wound and her blood spills to the floor.

"REGINA!" Emma cries her vision becoming blurry from her tears.

"LET HER GO!"

Emma clutches her hands into fists. Her heart beat is thrumming in her ears, it's like she can hear her blood flowing through her body, no not her blood her magic. She closes her eyes and breathes in when she opens her eyes again they are filled with a light white and purple gleam.

"I said LET HER GO!"

The darkness in her voice doesn't escape Rumpelstiltskin, he takes a step back letting go of Regina. And in that moment he knows, he is going to die.

The energy that is released is so bright and so powerful that it does not only kill Rumpelstiltskin but the castle walls shake and fall down. Even the cage that her parents were kept in is destroyed and Emma can see the shocked expression off Snows face when she is looking at her former step mother.

"REGINA!" Emma crutches down next to the brunette taking her head and putting it gently in her lap.

"Regina…" Emma whispers. The brunette has already lost to much blood, her face is pale and her eyes are starting to become glassy.

"Emma….I need you to now." Emma shakes her head.

"No you're not saying goodbye, please don't." Regina lifts her hand and cups Emma's cheek.

"I need to say this Emma, please…." Tears are streaming down Emma's face but she nods.

"You saved me, you fixed me and you love me. I will always be with you no matter what happens. You have healed my heart and I have given it to you, I love you Emma. I will always love you." Regina's voice is hoarse and speaking is becoming difficult.

"Regina?" Snow and David are looking at Regina with shocked eyes.

"Snow, I need you to know that I love your daughter and I have put the past behind me. Please be the parents that she deserves and let her make her own life. I'm sorry for everything I put you through and I hope that one day you can forgive me."

Snow and David are crying, nodding and promising. Regina turns her look to Emma again, she wipes away the tears on the blonds face with her thumb.

"I'm sorry Regina, I should have never come here without you, if I wasn't this stubborn all of this wouldn't have happened." Regina shushes Emma.

"Don't blame yourself, I rather died for someone I love that to die without loving someone."

"I love you Regina, I always will." Emma whispers in her ear closing the distance between them and kissing those pink lips one last time.


	14. Chapter 14

**Or story has ended** **Thank you to all who followed the story. I will be uploading a new story tomorrow so if you want to check this out, please do.**

 **Epilogue: Once upon a happy ending**

Dark brown hair and forest green eyes were looking at her full of excitement.

"Once upon a time a young princess found a queen. The queen was being held a prisoner for her past deeds. The queen had lost hope and found herself not deserving of love. The princess didn't agree with the queen and found a way to give her hope and love. True love is very powerful the most powerful magic in the world, it can break every spell so the princess broke the queen out of captivity."

There was a sound of a door creaking and soon after there was a warm present behind her, holding her and resting her chin on her shoulder.

"The queen and princess ran away together trying to find happiness. But every action has consequences for the princess was ought to marry a cruel and veil man, who after the disappearance of the princess attacked the kingdom, killing many causing a lot of pain.

The princess's parents were captured and were treated to dead. The princess who was very stubborn didn't listen to her queen about making a plan to rescue the parents, she instead went alone and got captured by the cruel man and his dark father."

Forest green eyes grow big and a small gasp is heard.

"But don't worry the princess had her queen who would protect her no matter what. There was a battle where powerful magic was used, the cruel man and his father died but the queen was severely injured, she had lost a lot of blood and was saying her goodbyes.

But as you remember in the beginning of the story I told you that true love was the most powerful magic of all and the queen and princess shared a true love kiss healing her wounds and making the queens heart beat again." The little girl's eyes sparkled, she loved a happy ending.

"Yes the queen and princess found there happy ending together but yet something was missing but three years ago their wish was answered and the queen and princess made a beautiful girl, with chocolate brown hair and forest green eyes. A girl who was really tired right now and went to sleep without any problems."

Emma could hear Regina chuckle behind her, giving Emma a kiss on the shoulder. Their little girl did what her mother wanted from her and closed her eyes to go to sleep. Emma and Regina stay for a little longer watching their beautiful girl fall in to dreamland. When they were sure the girl was fast asleep they give her a goodnight kiss and returned to their chambers.

"I like your story." Regina says pulling the covers away and getting into bed.

"I know you would." Emma smiled and did the same, she turned her face to Regina and kissed her nose. Regina chuckled. "I especially liked the part about the o so stubborn princess." Emma laughed and pushed Regina back, straddling her.

"Yes stubborn, but you like that about me." Emma says kissing Regina.

"Yes I love that about you." Regina answered Emma's kisses. Emma pulled back and looked at Regina for a long time. Regina frowned. "What's wrong?" She asked with a concern voice.

"Nothing, absolutely nothing. I'm happy so happy and I love you and I will love you for the rest of my life."

Tears welled up in Regina eyes.

"You are my happy ending and I will love you even when I stop breathing."

The princess and queen kissed and held each other.

A happy ending is hard to find but you have to believe in it,

something the queen and princess knew all too well cause they were in the position to say

and we lived happily ever after.


End file.
